Family Honor
by crais's-lady
Summary: Crais is in a race against time against 2 factions vying for control of what's left of the PK's and fighting an internal struggle threatening to rip the resistance apart. C/M Part 6. Chap. 6 up. Pls. R/R. Thanks
1. Prologue

Prologue  
  
The trail was cold and Terrick Crais cursed colorfully as he gazed over the ruined settlement, smoke still curling into the air. He rubbed his face in frustration as he gazed at the man beside him. "Well, unless we can find someone alive, we have to either assume Suleah is dead or she wasn't here in the first place."  
  
"I suppose we better search the ruins."  
  
Terrick nodded at his partner's suggestion and the two men began to pick their way through the rubble of a once bustling city. He gazed briefly at Lorac Mane, his uncle's one time wingman and one of the resistance movement's former gunrunners. The ex-Peacekeeper had followed him the night he launched from Zorosa 3 five monens ago, following Terrick to his half-sister's supposed location. Terrick was unaware that Mane had been keeping an eye on him and was secretly pleased that he did not have to undertake his self-imposed mission alone.  
  
The settlement was the fifteenth place they had been sent to, always arriving just behind Scorpius' commandos as they moved Suleah to a new location. Terrick did not understand the scientist's fascination with the half-human, half-Sebacean child and he was starting to get extremely aggravated with the way the search was going. He followed Mane across a rubble pile, picking his way carefully through the debris as he loosened the collar of his resistance uniform.  
  
"By Cholak, whoever did this made sure we wouldn't find anything," Mane commented as he checked a burnt out building, covering his mouth and nose with his hand at the smell of burning flesh.  
  
Terrick looked around, the silence of the place unsettling. "Yes, but the question is, who did this?"  
  
"Why do I have the feeling we'll never find out?" Mane remarked as they followed what was once the main thoroughfare of the city. Everything around them was destroyed, glass and steel littering the ground. Pieces of fabric that once curtained windows fluttered in the light breeze. Terrick stopped, his head canted, listening. "What? What's the matter Terrick?"  
  
"I heard something." Both men listened intently as a soft cry wafted to them from a burnt out store front to their right. Terrick climbed through the broken window, the doorway blocked by smoking timbers. Light sifted down through the shattered ceiling and both of them coughed as they inhaled smoke and dust. They heard the pathetic cry again and moved as quickly as they could to the back. A young woman, only a few cycles older than Terrick, lay on the floor, her body twisted and broken. Mane knelt next to her, checking her pulse. "What happened?" Terrick asked softly, kneeling on the other side of her.  
  
"We…were attacked…they took…the child," she whispered, her voice soft. Mane gently lifted her head, offering her a drink of water from his canteen.  
  
"What child?" Mane asked, his eyes locking with Terrick's in the fading light.  
  
"The scientist's child. Scorpius' protégé, Suleah Crais," the woman moaned. Her eyes focused on the ceiling above her, slowly clouding over.  
  
Terrick turned her head, their eyes meeting. "Who attacked you? Can you describe them?"  
  
The woman reached out with the last bit of strength she possessed, gripping Terrick's jacket. "This insignia…their uniforms bore this insignia…" she sighed. "The…soldiers were…dressed like you," she whispered as her life faded away.  
  
  
  
Tauvo grabbed a hold of the console as another blast rocked the command carrier. He could see Crais' own carrier on the monitor, the blast shields covering the viewport. The small Peacekeeper group that ambushed them was no match for the two huge carriers, the largest ship engaging them a frigate. He looked at his communications officer. "Well?"  
  
"It's almost done sir," the woman responded. They had intercepted a coded Peacekeeper transmission from Scorpius to the lead frigate, the one they were currently engaging and Tauvo's people were working frantically to decode the transmission.  
  
Tauvo growled in frustration and he gazed at his brother on the monitor. "They're still working on it," he relayed to Crais.  
  
"Let's finish this. We will have to regroup before returning to Scorpius' main base," Crais responded, his fists clenched at his sides. They had been away from Zorosa 3 for too long, the Peacekeeper scientist leading them on a merry chase as he moved his base from sector to sector. The brothers believed it was a ploy to keep them away from the main base they had found empty, Scorpius running a gambit to keep them preoccupied as he continued construction underground.  
  
Tauvo looked at his weapon's officer. "Target and fire on the frigate on my mark." He waited as the frag cannons came around, Crais' carrier matching his moves from the opposite side of the small fleet. "On my mark…"  
  
"Sir, we've decoded the message." the communications officer started.  
  
"Fire!" Tauvo yelled. He turned to the comm console as the carrier shuddered, the frag cannons pounding out laser fire against the smaller frigate. It exploded in a cloud of gas and metal, the other ships in the convoy quickly surrendering. He quickly read the message, his face going white as he gripped the console to keep from staggering backwards. Tauvo looked up, swallowing the bile that had come up to his throat. "What…was the registry of that…frigate?" he asked quietly.  
  
"The one we just destroyed sir?" the other comm officer asked, concern crossing his face at Tauvo's reaction to the message.  
  
"Yes," he snapped.  
  
"It was the Carn'atoc, sir."  
  
Tauvo hung his head, his breath frozen in his lungs. "By Cholak, what I have done?" he whispered, standing up straight and wiping his hand across his face. He gazed at the communication officer who decoded the message, her own face as white as his own.  
  
The helmsman, Jorin Tadace, nephew of the resistance's former leader, stared at him. "Tauvo, what did that message say?"  
  
Tauvo swallowed hard as he gazed at Jorin. "It was asking Commander Rega of the frigate Carn'atoc to make sure that the child he was transporting arrived at Rellia unharmed." Jorin's face blanched, the crew on the command deck in shocked silence. "The child was none other than my niece, Suleah." 


	2. Chapter One

Chapter One

          Scorpius sat at the console, a ream of plastic pages before him.  His smiled sinisterly at the report he was reading, his eyes gazing across the room as they narrowed in calculation.  The frigate _Carn'atoc_ was destroyed, the first stage of his plans slowly coming to fruition.  He wondered how Morgan was fairing with the implanted memories.  It had been almost six monens since she escaped, helped by his turncoat second-in-command Braca and Crais' annoying teenage son Terrick.  It was too bad for them that they didn't look a little harder for Suleah.  They would've found her safe and snug in his quarters.  Oh, he made them all think she was gone, trying to keep Raseen from the young child, but Scorpius was smarter then that.  He had refused to let the little imp from his sight.  Scorpius' smile grew as he laid the report down. 

          The door slid open, an aid stepping inside.  "Sir, Captain Duerell Sarkov has arrived."

          Scorpius stood up, slowly walking down the steps to the main level of his office, studying the woman as she slipped into the room.  She stopped just inside the door, standing at attention, waiting.  She was as tall as Scorpius, her gold hair neatly braided down her back, blood red eyes in a white face staring straight ahead, her red lips pursed slightly.  Duerell was a Morlovian, a species that lived in subterranean caverns on her inhospitable homeworld at the far edge of Peacekeeper space.  It explained her pale complexion and Scorpius liked her already.  Admiral Logia had recommended her, informing the scientist of her love for complicated puzzles and new methods of traveling across sectors.  It seemed that the Captain shared his love of wormholes.  "Captain Sarkov, I am Scorpius, head of this Gammak base and leader of the Peacekeepers."  He shrugged as he walked around her.  "Or at least what is left of them."

          Duerell's eyes followed him and she tilted her head.  "Permission to speak freely sir?"  Scorpius nodded as he stopped before her.  "I believe it will not take long to squash Captain Crais' resistance and rebuild our illustrious corps to their former glory," she purred, licking her lips.

          Scorpius' eyes widened.  "Well, you are certainly loyal."  He moved over to the window that overlooked his lab, pointing with one gloved hand, the other behind his back.  "Do you know what that is?" he simply asked.

          Duerell approached slowly, standing next to him as she watched technicians working below them.  Her eyes were immediately drawn to one isolation chamber at the far corner of the sealed lab and she watched as a female technician was suddenly sucked into a whirling blue mass that disappeared.  A smile spread across her face, her sharp incisors clearly visible.  "A wormhole lab, sir."  Her expression was one of total ecstasy as she ran her tongue across her teeth.

          Scorpius nodded in agreement as he watched her.  "That is correct."  He returned his gaze to the experiments below him.  "I had to rebuild everything Captain Crais destroyed.  It has taken me this long.  And once I have the formula, we will crush the resistance."

          Duerell glanced at him.  "And how will we get that sir?" she whispered.

          Scorpius smiled, turning away from the glass.  "All in good time Captain.  All in good time." 

          Crais stormed into his brother's quarters, Crichton and Aeryn behind him.  It had been almost a weeken since they had destroyed the frigate, Tauvo refusing to speak with any of them.  It was at Jorin's insistence that the human and two ex-Peacekeepers come aboard to confront Tauvo face to face.  "Would you mind explaining to me why you have been putting me off and refusing to return to Zorosa 3?" Crais snapped, his face dark with frustration and growing anger.  "I know that there is nothing wrong with this carrier, Tauvo, as you keep claiming."

          Tauvo looked up at his brother and the others, turning away from the monitor.  The video from the battle replayed on the screen behind him and he rubbed his hands over his face, sighing.  "Sit down, Bialar," he said softly, pointing to the bed, noticing that his brother remained standing.

          Crichton leaned on the console, his gaze meeting Aeryn's.  Something was wrong in paradise.  "Hey Tauvo, you don't look so good."

          Tauvo stood up and poured himself a glass of water, running his fingers through his short, black hair.  "I killed Suleah," he simply declared, his back to them, his head hung.

          Crais canted his head as he gazed at his brother.  "What did you say?" he asked, hoping he had misheard.  He approached Tauvo, laying a hand on his brother's shoulder as he walked around him.  Crais fought to maintain an even expression as he gazed at Tauvo.  Tears slipped down the younger man's face and Crais' eyes narrowed as he gazed at Crichton and Aeryn, their faces as white as his own at his brother's declaration.  "Tauvo, what makes…you think you…killed Suleah?" Crais asked quietly.

          Tauvo slid a plastic sheet from the side console, sniffling.  He had been fighting the guilt since he destroyed the frigate, trying to determine the best way to break the news to his brother.  He handed the sheet to Crais, pointing to it.  "This…is the transcript of the…coded message we received."  He ran a finger over his eyebrow.  "If we had just waited…" he sobbed, licking his lips, watching his brother's face as Crais read the sheet.

          Crais felt his stomach lurch as he read Scorpius' message, swallowing hard as Crichton and Aeryn approached the brothers.  He was furious and angry, yet heart-broken all at the same time, unsure if he could even speak without breaking down.  It was as much his own fault as it was Tauvo's.  He was the one that gave his brother the order to finish it, to end the battle between the resistance ships and the Peacekeeper convoy.  He handed the sheet to Crichton as he slipped past Tauvo, squeezing his brother's shoulder as he slowly headed to the door.  He stopped, pulling himself up straight.  "She…" he paused, swallowing.  "Suleah was…an unfortunate…casualty of war," he said in a strained and quiet voice.  A tear slipped down his cheek as he left, leaving them in stunned silence.

          It was all Crais could do to keep from breaking down before reaching the privacy of his own quarters.  He checked the status logs as he paced the bridge of his carrier for a few moments, finally leaving Lieutenant Leris in command until Crichton returned.  As soon as he stepped into the solitude of his quarters, Crais relaxed, stripping off his uniform jacket and stopping as he tossed it on the bed, tears streaming unbidden from his eyes.  He sank down at his desk, covering his face with his hands, Suleah's sweet countenance appearing behind his eyes, causing the ex-Peacekeeper Captain to cry even harder.

          He was angry, furious at himself for his impatience and not waiting until he knew what the intercepted message had contained before giving the order to destroy the frigate.  Crais pounded his fist against the desk as he began to shake, his mind searching for answers to impossible questions.  He couldn't understand why Scorpius felt he needed to take Suleah.  Did the scientist want the wormhole formula so bad that he needed to endanger the life of a child?  Or was there more to his daughter's kidnapping than was apparent?  Was it, as Braca so vehemently insisted, all Jira Raseen's plan to exact revenge against Morgan and him?  Or did they all fall into Scorpius' trap when Morgan took off after the child?  Crais growled in frustration, trying to make some sense of his daughter's death, attempting to find some small thing that justified the end of her short life.  No matter how hard he tried, he simply could not find a plausible reason.

          Crais stood up with a shaky sigh, walking to the bath to splash some cold water on his face.  He gazed at his haggard reflection in the mirror and sighed, removing the shirt he was wearing, a glint of gold catching his eye.  Morgan's Celtic knot pendant lay on his chest, shining in the light accusingly on the gold chain around his neck.  Crais picked it up between his fingers, rubbing it lightly as he leaned against the bulkhead behind him, closing his eyes as he wondered how he was going to tell her that their infant daughter was dead.  Morgan's state of mind when he left Zorosa 3 had been questionable and, even though Shantar kept him up to date on her progress, Crais knew the news would devastate her.  It was devastating him, the only thing keeping the Captain going being years of discipline from his service in the Peacekeepers.

          Crais leaned forward, wetting his face with the cool water as he tried to determine the best course of action for the resistance to take.  Scorpius continually stayed one step ahead of them and he was beginning to wonder how the scientist always seemed to know just where they were going to be next.  He let the thought slip from his mind as he loosened his hair from its queue, grabbing a towel and scrubbing dry his face as he returned to the main area of his quarters.  When he looked up it was to find Crichton sitting at his desk, a sorrowful expression on the human's face.  "Crichton," Crais said in surprise.

          Crichton gazed up at his former nemesis, tears drying on his face.  None of them had escaped the pain at Tauvo's declaration.  "I…uh…let myself in," he sighed quietly, motioning to the door and dropping his hand back to his leg in resignation.  He leaned forward, his elbows on his knees, studying his fingers as he entwined them together before him.  "You know, for the life of me I can't figure it out."

          Crais solemnly dropped the towel on the bed, retrieving a fresh shirt and sliding it on.  "Can't figure…what out?""

          Crichton rubbed his cheek.  "Why Scorpius did it."  He shook his head, sitting back in the chair, leaning his chin on his fingers as he watched Crais.

          "I have been asking myself the same question," Crais admitted.  He sat on the edge of the bed, gathering his hair and returning it to the queue as they sat in shared silence.  "I am beginning to believe that there was…more to Suleah's kidnapping than meets the eye."  He peered up at Crichton, their eyes locking briefly as Crais voiced his suspicions.

          Crichton nodded slowly in agreement.  "Unless the psycho freak gets his jollies out of tormenting us."

          Crais snorted ruefully as he stood up and headed for the sideboard, pouring himself a drink and then pouring one for Crichton.  If the human felt as bad as he looked, he would need it.  Crais knew he did.  "Oh…I assure you…that is beyond question."  He handed the human the glass.  

          "Thanks."  Crichton saluted the ex-Peacekeeper with the glass and tossed the raslak back in one shot, closing his eyes as he sighed.  "You know Crais, war is not unknown to humans."  He shook his head.  "God only knows we've had our fair share."  Crichton drew back and hurled the glass across the room in anger, tears falling from his blue eyes.  "But why is it always the innocent ones that have to suffer?" he spat through clenched teeth.

          Crais leaned back against the sideboard and studied Crichton.  The Captain had seen many battle campaigns in his service as a Peacekeeper, more than he could readily recollect.  "I don't know Crichton," he finally admitted softly.  "It is a question I have… contemplated on numerous occasions."  Crichton looked up at him in surprise and Crais cocked one eyebrow in answer.  "Especially since you arrived here."

          Blue eyes that were shared by so few stared at Crais, hardening.  "Yeah, well, it makes less sense when it hits home," he remarked tiredly.  He could tell Crais was upset and though the two men constantly disagreed on thing or another, he couldn't help sharing the Captain's pain.  He knew what he went through when he left the royal planet after playing husband to Princess Katralla and discovering that she was carrying his child, knowing he would never see his own daughter.  Crichton shook his head, running his fingers through his hair.  "I have no idea how you are managing to stay so…so…"

          Crais turned away from Crichton's confused gaze, swallowing before he answered.  He busied himself by preparing two more drinks before answering.  "Composed?  In control?"  He handed another glass to Crichton, downing his own drink, his anger smoldering deep inside.  "It is the one thing I can…thank the Peacekeepers for," he answered angrily, his eyes narrowing as he tilted his chin slightly.  "Although…it would not take very much…for me to lose the fragile grip I still hold on my sanity."  Crais' glass shattered in his hand as he squeezed it, the glass cutting his palm and confirming to the Captain that he was not in the throws of some warped dream.  He opened his hand, the glass tinkling to the deck as he began to pace the length of his quarters like a caged panther, brooding quietly, ignoring the cuts that bled from his palm.  "I am…angry at Tauvo…angry at myself…at Morgan…at you…"

          "At Scorpius," Crichton added, watching the emotions play over Crais' face. 

          Crais' lips pursed in contained fury, his eyes narrowing as he stopped, turning to look at Crichton.  He reached out with his hands.  "I would…give anything to have that…half-breed's neck in my hands right now," he snarled violently, closing his fingers in fists as if the scientist's neck was actually there.

          Crichton stood up, rubbing his eyes with one hand as he approached Crais.  "Join the party," he commented, laying a hand on Crais' shoulder.  Their eyes met, reluctant allies, both men torn over the loss of one of their family.  "Bialar, if it's any consolation, I'm sorry."

          Crais nodded, looking down momentarily.  "Thank you…John."  He turned away, hastily wrapping a bandage around his hand before retrieving his jacket from the foot of the bed, running his finger over the resistance insignia.  It was supposed to be a symbol of hope and a better life, the animal, a lion Morgan called it, holding a small balanced scale in it's paw, it's mouth open in a silent roar.  Right now it was a symbol of the force that was going to mete out revenge.  He looked up, his resolve firmly in place, the need to avenge his daughter's needless death strengthening him.  Crais vowed to himself that this time, he would exact his revenge for the right reason.  He turned as Crichton headed for the door.  "Crichton," he called.

          The human stopped, turning to look at Crais, not liking the tone of voice Crais used to call him.  The look on the Captain's face sent a shiver down Crichton's spine.  He had seen that look before, when he first arrived in the Uncharted Territories almost eight cycles ago.  It was the look of a very determined Peacekeeper Captain, an insane military commander.  Crichton swallowed.  "Yeah?" he finally said, waiting as Crais donned his uniform jacket.

          Crais approached him slowly, his head canted towards Crichton as he stopped denches away, his expression one of defiant fury.  "This time, we will get him."  Crais' eyes narrowed.  "Scorpius will pay for…frelling with our family."

          Morgan knelt before Allan, a huge grin on her face as she stared at her young son.  He was growing quickly and he stood on two shaky legs, one tiny fist wrapped around Stark's finger.  She encouraged her son, motioning with her fingers.  "Come on.  Come on, Allan.  Come give Mommy hugs," she crooned, watching as he took a tentative step away from the Bannik slave.  Stark smiled softly as Allan let go of his hand, lurching forward shakily as he squealed in delight.  "Come on, my little man," Morgan laughed as she caught him, swooping him up her arms in a hug, littering his face with soft kisses.

          A soft breeze blew across the square as Stark studied Morgan.  She had come a long way in the last few monens, but both Stark and Zhaan knew she still had a long way to go.  Morgan seemed truly happy around her son and aboard Talyn, her confidence and some of the cockiness she once held returning.  And she was happy when working on things that pertained to the resistance, finding her place in the scheme of things.  Stark had to admit that Lieutenant Braca had quite a bit to do with that.  The ex-Peacekeeper had taken her under his wing, teaching her how the Peacekeeper administration functioned since much of the day-to-day activities of the resistance were based on those guidelines.  Braca also continued the training Crais had started, enlisting some of the others to instruct her in art of hand to hand combat, building on her own knowledge of fighting and adding to it.

          But the biggest thing that concerned Stark the most was the way Morgan still seemed to shy away from any conversation that concerned Crais.  She still experienced residual memory lapses from Scorpius' torture in the chair and they almost always had to do with her husband.  Her eyes usually took on a haunted look and Morgan would quickly change the subject.  Zhaan assured Stark that Morgan would come around, having noticed that the human woman didn't bristle as much when Crais' name was mentioned, but Stark was not as confident as the Delvian priestess.

          "Hey, Stark," Morgan said quietly, laying her hand on his arm, her face gazing at him in concern.

          Stark looked up at her.  "Oh, I'm sorry," he whispered, smiling.  He noticed Shantar and Braca standing behind Morgan and stood up.

          Morgan handed Allan to Stark.  "I've got to go.  There's a bit of a problem."

          The little boy reached out to her, his dark eyes filling with tears.  "Momma," he cried, his chubby fingers wiggling towards her as he leaned forward in Stark's arms.

          Morgan took his face in her hands, kissing his nose.  "Mommy has to go to work," she soothed, stroking his head, ruffling his dark hair.  "I'll be back.  Go with Stark, he'll take you to Grandma."  She watched as Stark walked away, softly chanting to the boy.  Allan's pitiful face gazed at her over the Bannik's shoulder, his little mouth curled down in a frown, causing Morgan to bite her lower lip.  She took a deep breath and turned away, walking silently with Braca and Shantar back to the main building that held the resistance's offices.  Her back stiffened at the sight of her stepson and Lorac waiting for her in Crais' office.  "Well, the prodigal son returns," she commented snidely, sliding behind the desk.  "Who'd you sell us out to this time?"

          Terrick swallowed, nodding, his eyes meeting Braca's, before returning to Morgan.  "I deserved that," he remarked softly.  He peered at Lorac for support, the older man shaking his head.  "I should've told you what I was doing."

          Morgan chewed the inside of her cheek trying to keep her aggravation in check.  "Yes, it would've been nice.  You caused quite a ruckus slipping the guards like that.  You're just lucky Lorac followed you."

          Shantar crossed his arms as he leaned one hip on the corner of the desk, Braca gravitating to stand behind Morgan.  "And what exactly were you doing?" the security chief snapped.

          Terrick licked his lips.  "I was following up on my half-sister's last known location," he answered, his face reddening slightly.

          Terrick's answer brought Morgan to her feet and she placed her hands palm down on the desk as she leaned forward hopefully.  "And?"

          Lorac ran his hand over is face.  "We ran into a dead end."  He slipped a data chip from his pocket and handed it to Morgan, motioning for her to look at it.  He waited as she slipped it into the reader on the desk, a three-dimensional image flaring to life.  "This is Dreneda VI.  It's main continent held a very prosperous city, a commerce community.  Small, but busy."

          Terrick pointed to the image, picking up on Lorac's story.  "By the time we arrived, the city had been leveled to a pile of burning debris and rubble."

          "Your leads on Suleah led you here?" Braca questioned, noticing the glacial expression on Morgan's face.

          Lorac nodded.

          "Survivors?" Morgan asked, her voice hard as she stared at the image.  She wondered why her daughter would've been on a planet so far from Scorpius' reach.  And why the city had been leveled.

          "One.  A young woman who was barely alive.  She claimed that the people who attacked took Scorpius' protégé, Suleah.  So, at least we know your daughter is still alive."  Morgan relaxed slightly at his words, her head finally turning to look at the two men.  "When we questioned her further and asked if she could identify who did this, she told us."

          Morgan stood up, pulling the data chip and handing it to Shantar.  She didn't like the hesitation in Lorac's voice.  "Why do I have the feeling we are not going to like this?" she mumbled sitting down.

          "You're not," Terrick answered.  His eyes met and locked with his stepmother's and he was relived to find no trace of hatred remaining in their blue depths.  "The young woman claimed that the soldiers that attacked the city were dressed in black and gray uniforms that bore the resistance insignia."

          "Are you sure?" Shantar stood up, looking at Morgan, shaking his head in confusion.

          Lorac nodded.  "Yes.  She grabbed Terrick's jacket and refused to let go."

          Braca leaned on the desk, canting his head towards Morgan.  "I was under the impression that Crais and Tauvo went after Scorpius."

          Morgan looked up at the Lieutenant.  "They did."  She licked her lips.  "But they couldn't have launched a ground attack, not one of this magnitude."

          "The resistance doesn't have enough manpower to decimate a city that size," Shantar added.

          "And there's no reason to attack a commerce city, especially when we are trying to build support for the resistance."  Morgan looked at the two men on either side of her, her mind racing at the implications of Terrick and Lorac's story.  She gazed up at Shantar, sighing.  "You better contact Crais."

          Braca stood outside the office, watching Morgan.  It was the middle of the night and he had surprised his guards when he declared that he was going to speak with her.  He bristled slightly at the fact that he was still under an escort, but he refused to comment on the matter to Morgan and Shantar, even though he had proved to them that they had nothing to worry about.  And that he had nothing to hide.  Braca reflected on the last few monens and realized that for the first time since Crais defected, he didn't fear for his life.  The Lieutenant cleared his throat softly, leaning against the open doorway.  He was out of uniform, his white shirt open at the collar.   "You missed your training session," he stated.

          Morgan looked up at Braca's voice and smiled softly.  She looked at the two guards behind him.  "You guys can go back to your post.  I'll make sure the lieutenant gets back to his quarters."

          The one guard, a young man barely out of his teens, looked at her questioningly.  "Ma'am?"

          "Go," Morgan stated, making a shooing motion with her hand.  She motioned to the chair in front of her desk, standing up and pouring a cup of coffee for herself, a glass of water for Braca, knowing that he didn't care for the Earth drink.  "I didn't feel up to it," she finally responded to his statement.  She sank down in the chair next to Braca, leaning forward as she held the mug, staring through the steam.  She peered at him over the edge of the cup as she took a drink.  "And I know that is not why you're here."

          Braca chuckled.  "I couldn't sleep.  And I thought maybe you needed someone to talk to since I noticed you didn't return to Talyn like you usually do."  He waited patiently, watching as she twirled the coffee in her cup.

          Morgan shook her head.  "A couple of cycles ago I slammed you against a wall and now look at us.  Confidants and friends."  She sighed.  "I'm just nervous about seeing Crais.  When they left five monens ago, it was all I could stand to be near him."

          "And now?" Braca asked quietly.  He drew one leg up, resting his ankle on his knee.

          Morgan looked at him, her eyes softening.  "I want him to hold me.  I've missed him.  Yet, there is still a part of me that's unsure about everything."

          Braca looked down, dropping his leg and shifting forward in the chair.  He took Morgan's hand.  "We've come a long, you and I.  And I have watched you bounce back from what Scorpius did to you.  I can only say that about a handful of people, Morgan."  He smiled, something he found himself doing more often.  "I suspect once you've seen Captain Crais, you will be fine."  He squeezed her hand and stood up.  "Besides, Shantar, Terrick, Bian, Lorac and I will be with you."

          "And we'll be on Talyn," Morgan commented as she set her mug down and followed him from the office.

          Braca smiled.  "Yes.  We'll be on Talyn."

          They walked through the city square in amicable silence, each lost in their thoughts.  Morgan stopped, looking up at the sky.  "Braca, you realize that you may be one of the first ones Bialar suspects of being a spy."

          Braca looked at Morgan, his eyes hardening slightly.  "I would be concerned if he didn't."

          Morgan nodded, chewing the inside of her lip in thought.  She looked at the ex-Peacekeeper and sighed in frustration.  "I'll make sure Crais knows what you've done for me."

          "I would appreciate that.  I would like to regain his trust again."  He paused.  "And his respect."

          Morgan chuckled as they continued on.  "Somehow I believe you will.  On both accounts."


	3. Chapter Two

Chapter Two

          Morgan stood in Talyn's landing bay as the two Prowlers settled quietly on the deck.  She swallowed nervously, lifting her chin slightly as the canopies opened.  She glanced briefly at Braca to her left and the ex-Peacekeeper nodded slightly.  The others waited behind her.  Crichton was the first one out, scrambling down the small ship to the deck, approaching her, a smile on his face.  But the smile was missing was from his eyes and Morgan knew her cousin well enough to read him.  Something was wrong.

          "Look at you," he whispered admiringly as he wrapped her in his arms, squeezing her tightly.  He held her out at arms length, studying her.  Her physical appearance had changed since they had left, her hair back to its dark brown color, the weight she had gained from the twins gone, replaced by muscle.  And he could see her confidence had returned.  "There's the Morgan I know.  How are you feeling?" he asked.

          Morgan nodded, a slight smile on her face.  "I have my good days and my bad days."  She turned to Aeryn as the others greeted Crichton.  "I owe you an apology."

          Aeryn smiled.  "For what?  Knocking me out to go after your daughter?"  The Sebacean hugged Morgan.  "We can discuss it later."

          Morgan let Aeryn go, noticing that Tauvo had gone to Shantar, his eyes darting around the landing bay, his usually cheerful expression replaced with one of profound sadness.  She bit her lower lip as she stepped between Braca and Crichton, her eye's meeting Crais' as he slowly approached her.  Her heart pounded in her chest as they stood staring at each other, waiting.

          "Oh, the moment of truth," Crichton commented softly to Aeryn and Braca as Tauvo and Terrick slowly approached them.  The three of them watched her, trying to gauge her state of mind.

          "She's prepared for this," Braca remarked, crossing his arms.

          "More than we are," Terrick added, rubbing his fingers across his lips.

          "What are you doing here anyway?" Aeryn retorted, staring at Braca.

          Braca's face reddened slightly as he clasped his hands behind his back.  "We are here at Morgan's request."

          "When did all of you become so close?" Aeryn pushed.  What trick were Braca and Terrick playing at?  Aeryn's guard immediately went up.  She didn't trust Braca, even more so now.

          Crichton silenced them with a look as the others closed in around them, watching the exchange between the resistance leader and his headstrong wife.  Crichton chewed the pad of his thumb as he watched.  Would Morgan freak out like she did before or had she managed to overcome Scorpius' meddling? 

          Morgan took a breath.  "Bialar," she said, her voice firm and in control.  

          Crais gazed down at her seeing before him the woman that had chased after her cousin, the strong, proud, feisty human he fell in love with, not the broken shell Scorpius had returned.  He gazed at Braca, one eyebrow lifted in question as Talyn explained to him how his former second had helped his wife.  He reached out to stroke her cheek with his fingertips, his eyes narrowing imperceptibly, locked with hers.  Morgan never flinched, turning her slightly blushing face into his hand in welcome.  He cupped her cheek, a gentle smile crossing his face as he lowered his lips to hers.

          One human, seven Sebaceans and a hybrid Leviathan gunship all breathed a sigh of relief as Crais drew her in to his arms, holding her tightly as he buried his face in her hair.  "I have…missed you," he whispered, taking her face in his hands, looking for any sign of fear or revulsion.  All Crais could find was a shyness he had never observed in Morgan.  "I love you," he simply whispered.

          Morgan's face reddened further and she reached up to caress his cheek.  "I love you too, Bialar."

          Tauvo took a step away from the others, Aeryn laying a hand on his arm, shaking her head 'no', receiving a questioning glance from the others as Crichton reached for him as well.  "One step at a time man.  Let Crais tell her," he hissed, his blue eyes flaring.

          "She must know, Crichton," Tauvo snapped loudly, jerking his arm free.

          Braca and Terrick gazed at each other, then to Crichton and Aeryn.  "Know what?" the teen asked, leaning towards the human.  He looked at his father.  "What is going on, uncle?" he asked Tauvo, his eyes meeting the older man's.

          Morgan turned in Crais' arms, her stomach dropping at Tauvo's words.  She stared at her brother-in-law, wondering why he hadn't greeted yet, concerned by the less than happy look on his ace.  She gazed at each of them, her eyes narrowing as she approached the group.  "What's going on?"  Morgan asked quietly, blocking Talyn's nervous warnings from her mind.  She looked up at her husband.  "Crais?"

          Crais' eyes met his brother's.  "It is something…we should discuss in private," he answered, tilting his head warningly towards Tauvo as he laid his hands on Morgan's shoulders.

          "Does this have anything to do with what we discovered on Dreneda?" Lorac asked, gazing over at Terrick.

          "No," Crais snapped.

          "She has the right to know, Bialar!" Tauvo urged.

          Crais pushed past Morgan.  "Not like this," he hissed through clenched teeth, his eyes dark in anger, his face denches from Tauvo's.  "Do not push the issue, Tauvo."

          Morgan watched the confrontation between the brothers, her eyes taking in both Crais and Tauvo as she moved to step between them.  The look of sorrow on her cousin's face sent the warning bells in her mind ringing.  "Would someone…"

          _~ Morgan, remain calm, ~_ Talyn urged.

          "…please tell me…" Everyone quieted, returning their attention to Morgan as her voice rose.

          _~ Morgan, please! ~_ Talyn begged.

          "…what the FRELL is going on?" she screamed.  Her whole body trembled, the landing bay hazing over as she sank to her knees, clutching her head, the ghostly images of Scorpius' lies trying to push their way to the surface.  A feral growl escaped her lips as she fought against them.

          "Talyn!" Crais yelled, dropping to her side, laying a hand on her shoulder.

          Braca saw the flash come on and pushed past the others, retrieving a drink of water from the faucet near the workbench in the adjoining maintenance bay.  He pushed the cup of water into her hands.  "Come on, Morgan.  Fight this," he urged, his eyes meeting Crais' in defiance, before returning to the human woman who considered him a friend.

          ~ _It's not a good idea to upset her, Crais.  We found out that she will slip into a…_ ~ the gunship tried to find the right words as Crichton knelt on the other side of his cousin.  ~…_a memory flash_. ~

          Crais looked at Braca.  "A memory flash?  Scorpius' doing?" he growled.  Braca simply shook his head.

          "This is mild compared to some of the ones Pa'u Zotoh Zhaan and I have witnessed," Braca remarked as he stood up.

          Morgan laid her hand on Crais' and she glared at Tauvo, her breathing heavy as her vision finally cleared.  "What…do I need to know…Tauvo?" she questioned, her voice cracking.

          Tauvo ran his fingers through his hair, tears suddenly filling his eyes.  "We were ambushed Morgan.  I…my carrier…we destroyed…" He stopped, looking away.  Tauvo gathered up his courage and walked over to her as she stood up.  "Morgan, I killed Suleah."

          Morgan's face went pure white and she stepped back, Crichton catching her as she shook her head.  "No," she whispered, her hand going to her mouth.

          "It was…an accident, Morgan.  We intercepted a message…" Tauvo reached out to her.

          "Don't you frelling touch me," she hissed, looking to Crais then back to Tauvo, trying very hard to hold back the tears, fighting the tightness in her chest.

          Tauvo dropped his hand.  "I'm so sorry, Morgan.  We…didn't know," he cried, the guilt of his actions tearing at him.  "I am so very sorry."

          Aeryn saw Morgan's blue eyes harden.  "Oh now you've done it," she whispered, stepping towards the ex-Peacekeeper Commander.

          Morgan pushed away from Crichton, furiously wiping the tears from her face as she moved towards Tauvo, her anger growing with every step, Tauvo backing away as she neared.  "You…killed…my daughter…and all…you can say…is you're sorry?" she growled, lunging at Tauvo, knocking him backwards, pinning him to the deck, her hands clenched around his throat.  "How could you!"

          Tauvo wrapped his hands around Morgan's wrists as Crais grabbed her arms, everyone scrambling around them, trying to separate the two.  "We…decoded…the message…too…late," Tauvo choked, fighting for air.

          "I frelling hate you!" Morgan screamed, bouncing Tauvo's head off the deck as Crichton, Crais and Aeryn struggled to pull her off of him, Terrick and Braca trying desperately trying to loosen her grip as Shantar, Bian and Lorac stood by watching helplessly.  She let go suddenly, her face crumbling as she fell backwards, taking Crais with her to the steelskin deck in a tangle of limbs.  "I frelling hate you!" she screamed, beating the deck with her fists as she broke down, her face red with anger and grief.

          Crais took her in his arms, stroking her hair as she buried her face in his chest, sobbing uncontrollably as Tauvo skittered backwards on the deck, Shantar and Bian helping him to his feet as the others stood there speechless.  Morgan beat weakly on Crais' chest, her muffled cries of 'why' barely audible as he tried to calm her.

          "Morgan…please…forgive me," Tauvo pleaded, rubbing his neck and approaching her.

          Morgan turned away from Crais.  "Forgive you?  You killed my daughter, you…you…" With speed born of desperation, Morgan stood, drawing her pulse pistol in one move, aiming it at her brother-in-law.  

"Morgan! No!" Crais yelled from behind her.

"Frell you, Tauvo Crais!" she shrieked, firing.  The blast went wide, Tauvo and the others ducking as Crais lunged forward, taking Morgan around the legs and bringing her down to her knees.  He wrapped his arms around her, pinning her own tightly to her sides as he grabbed her wrists, wrestling the weapon away as it discharged again, the second blast whizzing dangerously close to Tauvo's head.  He threw the pulse pistol to the closest person, Terrick, staring at his brother.  "Get him out of here!" Crais commanded, struggling to hold Morgan against him.  He wrapped his arms around her, holding tightly to her wrists and hands as she fought him.

Aeryn grabbed Tauvo, dragging him from the landing bay, Braca taking his other arm.  "Crichton!" she called as Tauvo tried to get away.  Shantar stepped up behind them, calmly laying his hand at the back of the younger Crais' neck, firmly guiding him through the doors, the others following.

Crichton gazed down at Crais and Morgan, tears falling from his own eyes as they met the Captain's, his cousin's anguished wails echoing off the bulkhead as she doubled over, her hands still locked in the ex-Peacekeeper's.  "Crais?"

Crais looked up at him, shaking his head.  "Just go, Crichton."  It was all he could do to hold his own grief in check until the human left.  "Just go," he answered tiredly, closing his eyes.

Crichton nodded, leaving reluctantly.  The doors slid closed behind him and he leaned his head against them with a sigh.  "Why can't anything ever go right?" he said to himself.  He turned away from the doors, slowly moving up the corridor to where the others waited, slapping Tauvo on the back as he passed.  He shook his head, his own heart breaking.  "Real tactful, Tauvo.  Real tactful."

Crais returned to Talyn's bridge to find Crichton, Aeryn, Braca and Terrick waiting for him expectantly.  Shantar, Bian and Lorac had returned to the planet's surface with Tauvo, his younger brother still shaken at Morgan's reaction.  Crais was bound and determined to get the matter resolved, one way or another.  He rubbed his forehead, pursing his lips before he spoke.  "Morgan…is resting."  He clasped his hands behind his back as he looked at the others, his eyes stopping on Braca.  "I was…very surprised to see you here.  Morgan and Talyn informed me of…what you have done for her and I am grateful."  Crais took a deep breath and looked at his son.  "This situation has gone beyond…our family.  And I am tired of having…our name dragged through the…" Crais paused, swallowing, composing himself.  "…mud, as you would put it," he finished, turning his attention to Crichton.  The human nodded, and Crais returned his attention to Terrick.  "The woman on Dreneda VI positively identified the…insignia on your uniform?"  He lifted his chin as he waited for Terrick's answer.

Terrick gazed at his father.  "Yes."  He looked at the others, licking his lips nervously.  "What Lorac and I didn't tell the others was that we found a few bodies that were wearing the resistance uniforms."  He began to pace, his dark eyes narrowed as he phrased his words carefully.  He reached into his pocket, withdrawing a swatch of gray fabric he had cut from one of the dead bodies.  "It's not perfect, but close enough to indicate us."  He handed the insignia to Crais.

Braca gazed over at Crichton and Aeryn, the two of them staring at him in disgust.  "Morgan and Shantar confirmed the fact that no ground assault by the resistance has been undertaken," he commented.

Crichton stood up from where he leaned on the console.  "I'm a little confused here."  He moved towards the Lieutenant, striking an aggressive stance.  "Just how the frell do you fit into all of this?"

Crais waited, watching the face off between his former second and the human.  He maintained an expression of neutrality, not completely trusting Braca, but trying to give the man the benefit of the doubt.  Considering that Talyn had stood up for him, Crais owed Braca that much.

Braca smiled slightly at Crichton.  "When you left, I offered to help Morgan as a way to apologize to her for my hand in everything that happened.  Up until a few arns ago, I was still under constant guarded surveillance.  In return, she and Shantar asked my advice on certain matters pertaining to the Peacekeepers, Scorpius in particular."

"You could be a spy," Crichton simply pointed out.

Braca's back stiffened.  "Yes, Crichton.  I could be," he simply stated, neither denying nor accepting the accusation.

Crais' lips thinned.  "If…you are quite finished, Crichton," Crais stated softly, staring at the two men.  Crichton backed off and Crais moved towards the system panel.  "It is obvious that someone is trying to…bring down the resistance from the inside."  He held up the insignia, turning to face them.  "We do not have the manpower to conduct that large scale of an assault."  His eyes met the humans.  "You saw the reports and information Shantar forwarded to us."

"So what are you saying, Skipper?" Crichton retorted, cocking his head as he gazed at Crais.

Crais rubbed his temple with his middle finger, keeping his growing anger in check.  "What I am saying…is that someone is leaking information on the resistance to Scorpius.  It would explain how he knew where we were going to be at any given time."

Aeryn chewed her lower lip in thought.  "Crais," she said quietly, "you do realize it could've been anyone on the carriers."

Crais nodded.  "I considered that possibility on the return trip to Zorosa 3.  And I ruled it out."  His eyes met hers.  "You know, Officer Sun, as well as I do, that no communication on or off a carrier is allowed in deep space without my authorization.  And any communication to or from Tauvo's carrier would have been picked up by mine."

"Yeah, but how do you know your comm officers…" Crichton quickly shut his mouth.  "Never mind."  He gazed at Aeryn, shrugging.  "So I had a brain fart, okay."  Braca looked at Crichton quizzically.  "I was the comm officer on Crais' ship."

Terrick leaned against the bulkhead.  "Father, are you saying then that someone on Zorosa 3 is leaking the information?"

Crais looked at Terrick, his eyes hard.  "Yes Terrick."

Terrick nodded, folding one arm across his chest and propping the other on it, stroking his chin.  All eyes were on the young man.  "Which means that no one that has been on Zorosa 3 is free of suspicion."

For the first time since he had met his son, he actually felt something for the young man besides loathing.  He actually felt pride.  "That is correct."

"Including Morgan," Crichton remarked.

The human's comment sent Talyn into a frenzy, the gunship chirping wildly at Crichton.  Crais looked up.  "No Talyn, Crichton is right.  We still do not know the extent of Scorpius' influence over her."

"It's not Morgan," Braca defended, shaking his head.  

Crais looked at Braca.  "Are you sure?"  He stepped closer, his eyebrows raised in question.

"Captain, Scorpius used the Aurora chair to try and reprogram her mind.  Yes, he implanted false memories, but he did not do anything more than that."

"And you…are positive of this?" Crais simply posed, studying Braca carefully.

"Yes.  I would stake my life on it." 

Crichton whistled, leaning both hands on the console behind him.  "That's a pretty big wager, Braca."

"And one I am willing to take."  He sighed, looking around the bridge.  Terrick simply shook his head, the teen knowing that both of them were still on shaky ground with the others.  "Captain, I am as tired of Scorpius as you are."  He chuckled ruefully.  "As a matter of fact, I could enlighten you on some things that he has done that would make you sick.  But I know he did not turn your wife into a spy."

Crais nodded and backed away, pacing between them.  Someone was trying very hard to tear his family apart and with it, the resistance.  It was up to him to determine who it was before any more damage could be done.  This was a challenge Crais found himself looking forward to.

"So, what's the next move, boss?" Crichton asked.

Crais looked at the human, a thought suddenly occurring to him.  "If someone here…is working for Scorpius…then there is a chance the message Tauvo intercepted was a set up."

Aeryn looked at Crais in realization.  "Are you suggesting that Suleah may still be alive and he is using her to tear apart the resistance?"

Crais nodded.  "In essence, yes."  A brief flare of hope passed across his face and he smiled as a plan formed in his mind.  "In two days time, I am going to call a meeting of the senior resistance staff and announce that we have a traitor among us."

"What good will that do?" Terrick questioned softly.

Crais stroked his goatee.  "I am hoping that it will cause them to make a mistake."  He held up his hand, motioning with it.  "It may take time, but it might be the leverage we need."

"Uh, Crais, I wouldn't advise letting too many people in on this," Crichton suggested.

Crais faced him.  "No one beyond the bridge of this ship and Morgan will know of this."  He glanced at Braca warningly.  "And everyone, myself included, will be considered suspect."

Crichton caught on to Crais' plan and nodded, smiling.  "Okay, then I want to play devil's advocate."  He noticed the confused expressions around him.  "In other words, I want to be the one that accuses Morgan."

Aeryn scowled at Crichton.  "Are you fahrbot?  She'll rip you to shreds if you do that."

Crais shook his head, seeing the logic behind Crichton's suggestion.  "No, Aeryn, it makes sense."  He stopped pacing, leaning on one of the consoles.  "If Scorpius' spy is trying to purposefully drive a wedge between the members of my family in order to take down the resistance, then Crichton accusing Morgan would be the perfect catalyst."  He paused.  "Of course, Morgan will know what Crichton is doing."

"Are you sure she'll play along?" Braca asked.

No one realized that Morgan had been standing there the entire time except for Crais.  She had heard the whole exchange, her own heart lifting slightly at the idea that Suleah was still alive.  But she was still angry and she would do anything to bring the scientist down.  "Oh, I'll play along."  Everyone turned to look at her as she walked slowly towards Crais, her face a perfect mask.  The Captain smiled ominously, knowing she wanted revenge against Scorpius as bad as he did.  She took her place next to her husband, her blue eyes hard, her mouth set, her arms crossed over he chest, her head canted in that arrogant slant that Crichton knew only too well indicated that she meant business.  "And when we find the spy, I want to be the one to take them down."

Talyn was quiet, his corridors empty as Crais paced them, his hands locked behind his back, deep in thought.  Everyone had returned to the planet, except for the gunship's two Captains.  He looked up, a soft smile on his face, trying to remember the last time they had been alone on the gunship.  Crais strode towards their quarters.  "Talyn, unless it's an emergency, do not disturb Morgan and I."  The gunship happily complied as the Captain walked in.  He looked around for Morgan, canting his head questioningly when he didn't immediately see her.  She was sitting at the small table in the alcove to the left of the bed, plastic sheets spread before her, blankly staring at them, unshed tears threatening to spill from her eyes as she chewed on her thumbnail.  Crais leaned against the bulkhead, peering at her for a few moments before removing his uniform jacket and taking a seat in the chair across from her.

Morgan looked up at him, brushing the tears away as she smiled.  "Well, peace and quiet and alone at last," she said softly, her heart racing in her chest.

Crais nodded, reaching out and taking her hand.  He ran his fingers over the bonding tattoo on her wrist, unsure what to say to his wife after being apart for so long.  He wanted to take her to bed, to hold her against him, to feel the gentle rise and fall of her chest in sleep as she lay curled in his arms.  And yet Crais feared to push too far too fast.  The memory flash she had experienced earlier was enough to shake him to the core and he did not want to put her through that again.  Before he left with the others, Braca told him and Crichton of the severity of previous attacks, flashes so frightening and evil that Morgan was incapacitated for days.  The lieutenant admitted that on a few occasions, Zhaan, Stark, Talyn and himself feared Morgan would take her own life.  Braca's words echoed in his head and Crais stood up, entwining her fingers in his and pulling her to her feet and into his embrace, gently kissing her, waiting for her to initiate anything more at her own pace.

Morgan went willingly into his arms, laying her head on his chest as he held her.  "Bialar, I'm sorry," she stated softly.

"For what?"  He tilted his head to look at her.

          Morgan sighed.  "For frelling everything up."  She turned away from him, running her fingers through her hair as she began to pace.  "If I had listened to you, our daughter may be here right now, instead of someplace else or…" she paused, looking at him, "…dead."

          Crais stared at her.  "It is not your fault Morgan."  He sighed as he approached her.  "And I wish I could convince my brother of the same."

          Morgan's eyes narrowed.  "Do you have concrete evidence that our daughter is dead?" she posed.

          "No."

          She nodded.  "Then let your brother," she hissed cruelly, "think she's dead."  Crais gazed at her quizzically.  "Let Tauvo suffer with guilt of his actions the way he made you suffer when you thought he was dead.  Then maybe he'll understand what being a true family is all about."


	4. Chapter Three

Chapter Three

          Tauvo hounded Crichton down the corridor towards the conference room, his dark eyes haunted and smudged from lack of sleep.  "I have to know.  Please John.  I can't stand having Morgan so furious with me.  I can't get anything done because she won't talk to me.  He's got to know something," Tauvo begged, his usually twinkling eyes dull and pleading.  "I mean, she's instituted a password system on the computers, she's completely reorganized both my brother's and my offices, I can't find anything…"

Crichton grabbed him, dragging him into a cold and empty office.  The blinds had been pulled and he slammed the door, leaning his head against it before sinking down into a chair as he held his hand up placatingly with an aggravated sigh.  "Alright!  I can't guarantee he'll know a frelling thing other than what he thinks Scorpius would do, but I'll try."  He shook his head, rubbing his face briskly with his hands.  "The things you people ask me to do," he grumbled.

"When?" Tauvo asked.

But Crichton's face had already blanked, his blue eyes glazed and staring straight ahead.  He paced through his black mind, turning around as he looked for the neural clone.  "Yo!  Harvey!  I need to talk to you!"  He waited, crossing his arms and tapping his foot in annoyance, getting set to pull himself back when a door appeared to his right from out of nowhere and he raised his eyebrows, canting his head in confusion as he swaggered over to it, biting his lower lip.  "Okay.  Let's see what's behind door number one!" he commented to himself, imitating a game show host.  Crichton turned the handle and swung it open.

A woman screamed and the human covered his eyes with his hands, peeking through his fingers in horrid fascination.  There before him, bereft of all clothing except his black mask, gloves and strategically placed red satin pillow, knelt Scorpius on a king size heart shaped bed, the cooling unit blinking in time to the cheesy music that suddenly started playing in the human's mind.   Crichton felt like he had walked into the honeymoon suite of some seedy Las Vegas hotel.

The neural clone had the decency to blush as he looked at the human.  "John, your…timing leaves a bit…to be desired," Scorpius stammered as the woman, a buxom blonde, pulled the black satin sheet up to her chin.

Crichton's hand slipped down his face.  "What…are you…doing?" he finally squeaked in shock.  He couldn't figure out which was worse: Scorpius' state of undress or the music.  He suddenly found himself wishing he had never snuck out of the house as a teenager to watch those tawdry porn movies with some of his friends.

Scorpius blinked at him.  "What does it look like?" he hissed, leaning towards the human, making a shooing motion with his hands, indicating that Crichton needed to leave.  "Can we discuss whatever you want later?"

An exasperated look came over Crichton's face as he approached the bed, shaking his head.  "No!"  He threw his hands in the air.  "This is just great!  My neural clone is getting more action than I am!"

Scorpius sat up a little straighter, a smug look on his face.  "Well, John, maybe you're doing something wrong," he remarked, emphasizing the word 'you're'.

Crichton glared at him, his eyebrows drawn down as his tilted his head towards the scientist.  "Say what?"

Scorpius sighed, propping his hands on his pale, bony, naked hips.  "Well, maybe your…how shall I put this…" He rubbed his black lips with his forefinger then pointed to Crichton, going from the human's chest to below his waist.  "…equipment doesn't satisfy Officer Sun."

Crichton's mouth fell open and he unconsciously glanced down.  "No.  No, we are not going there.  Just the hell would you know anyway?"  He waved his hands, shaking his head in frustration.  "And why are we even discussing this?  I need to ask you something very important!"

Before Scorpius could answer, the woman sat up, staring right at Crichton's privates, licking her lips.  "How big are you?" she squeaked in stereotypical blonde voice.

Scorpius and Crichton turned to look at the woman, the clone ripping the pillow from his lap.  "What?  Is this not big enough for you?"

Crichton fell from the chair as he came back to reality, leaving the clone and his floozy.  "Oh…oh…I did not need to see that," he stammered, using the chair and Tauvo's outstretched hand to rise.

"Didn't need to see what?" Tauvo asked, his voice tinged with concern.  "Are you alright?  Did you find anything out?"  His eyes were full of hope.

Crichton pushed away from the younger Crais brother, his face an odd shade of green.  "I'm gonna be sick," he whined, striding from the room and up the corridor towards the restroom, bouncing from wall to wall as he stumbled forward, his hand over his mouth.

Tauvo stood in the office doorway.  "Crichton?  What happened?" he called.

"Later, man!  Later!" Crichton pushed the door open.  "Tell Crais I'll be there in a few minutes," he tossed over his shoulder as he entered.  He went straight to the sinks, turning on the cold water and splashing generous amounts of it on his face, pushing what he had seen from his mind.  He looked up, studying his reflection in the mirror, the water dripping slowly from his face.  "You have got to rid of him."

Scorpius appeared right next to him, thankfully clothed in a red and black paisley smoking jacket, a cigar clenched between his teeth and a Playboy bunny on each arm.  He laid his hand on Crichton's shoulder, a wide grin on his face.  "Jealous John?"

Crichton simply whined as he banged his head off the sink.

Crais followed his wife into the huge and airy conference room on Zorosa 3, the last two people to arrive to the meeting he had called.  The room's occupants quieted as they walked in, their eyes following the ex-Peacekeeper Captain in fascination and taking their seats as Morgan took her place at the far end of the table.  Crais made his way to the head of the table, nodding in greeting to those who whispered to him, quietly laying down the folder that he had carried in.  He gazed over those assembled, his dark eyes measuring everyone in the room.  His brother sat to his right, his eyes downcast, his face pale beneath the dark stubble that peppered his cheeks.  Crichton sat to his left, the rest of the Captain's 'inner circle', which included his son, Braca, Moya's crew, Shantar, Bian and others, filling the rest of the seats around the table.  The commanders of his small resistance fleet, twenty-five to thirty of the most battle-hardened ex-Peacekeepers, filled the room in silent anticipation.  Crais smiled slightly for he was once again in his element, the element of command.  He had to admit that it felt good.

He cleared his throat, his eyes gazing over the faces around him as he spoke, his voice never rising above a normal level, but filled with authority.  "We have evidence that there is a…traitor among us, someone who has been leaking information regarding the resistance to Scorpius, who…as you are all aware, is now leading the remnants of the Peacekeepers in a…somewhat united front against us."  He paused, letting his words sink in, the stunned silence of the room's occupants almost deafening.  He noticed Crichton and Morgan subtly observing the others as a whisper slowly filtered through the room, his commanders bending their heads towards each in consultation, eyes wide with fear. They had every right to be scared for there was no one in that room that wasn't wanted.  He held up his right hand, the left clenched at the small of his back, quieting the people around him.  "Someone has managed to…copy our uniforms and insignia."  He held up the swatch Terrick had removed from the dead soldiers uniform on Dreneda, making sure everyone in the room could see it as he began to pace around the table.  

"Do you have any idea who it is?" Bian asked, turning in her chair to watch Crais.

The Captain lowered his hand, tossing the swatch back onto the table.  "No."  His eyebrows rose in question as he tilted his head, dark eyes boring into the woman.  "Do you?" he asked.  Bian shook her head.  "There will be an investigation into who this…traitor may be and…that person will be duly punished after a jury of his or her peers decide on the…best course to action."

Aeryn leaned back in her seat.  "How do we know it's someone here?" she asked, delivering her rehearsed lines with convincing ease, her own light eyes taking in the reactions of the people around her.  With the exception of Tauvo, who simply watched as his brother paced the room, everyone there was shocked.

Morgan looked at her, clasping her hands before her on the table.  "Unfortunately, it could be anyone involved with the resistance," she replied, nodding her head towards her husband.  "Including Captain Crais."

"Or you," Crichton remarked, staring at his cousin from his slouched position in the chair.  "I mean, let's face it Morgan," he continued, shrugging nonchalantly.  "You're still half-baked from Scorpius' mind frell and he did kidnap your kid."

Morgan's face grew dark with rage and she stood up, slamming her hands on the table, making the others jump.  "Why you sorry son of a bitch!" she hissed, her voice cold.  "This coming from someone whose head contains a neural clone of the one being in this galaxy who would like to see all of us dead."  Her blue eyes flashed and she leaned forward on the table, pointing at Crichton.  "If anyone's the frelling spy, it's you."

The human commander stood up, getting annoyed with Morgan.  She was playing her part just a bit too convincingly.  "Oh really?"  He snorted in disgust.  "Then would you care to explain to all of us why you felt it necessary to try and end your life a couple of times while we were gone?"

"By the goddess, John," Zhaan whispered, leaning forward to lay her hand over Crichton's, her blue eyes begging him to sit down.  She had no idea how he had found out about Morgan's botched suicide attempts.  The poor human woman had been completely and utterly under Scorpius' influence when they had happened, the memory flashes so severe that it had taken her and Stark days to get her settled back down.

Crichton looked down at the Delvian priestess.  "No, Zhaan.  Let's just get it all out into the open!  It's no secret that Morgan is the shakiest leaf on the family tree.  I mean, hell, she wasn't exactly wrapped too tight on Earth to begin with."  He saw her eyes narrow at that comment, her lips twitching ever so slightly.  Anyone else would have thought those barely perceptible gestures indicated her anger.  Not Crichton.  He had talked to her about the things Braca had conveyed to Crais and himself.  He even told her he knew about the time she tried to blow her brains out before coming after him, knowing that information was shared among a privileged few, and they both agreed it was the perfect reason to set them fighting for the spies benefit.  "What was it, Morgan?" he pushed.  "Guilt?"  He moved towards her, closing the distance between them, poking her in the chest.  "Was it guilt because you knew Scorpius would be waiting for us at every turn?"

Morgan lashed out, slapping her cousin across the face, pushing him away from her.  "You've sat in the chair, too, you arrogant pig!"  She propped her hands on her hips.  "For all we know, that neural clone in your head is transmitting to him right now."  She moved towards Crichton, grabbing his shirt and yanking him forward, canting her head, waving her hand over his eyes.  "Hello?  Scorpius?  You in there?  Where's my frelling kid?"  Without warning, Morgan slammed her forehead against Crichton's, sending him sprawling backwards into the commanders seated around the perimeter of the room, chairs screaming backwards with a scream of metal as everyone tried to get out of Crichton's way.

"Enough!" Crais' voice boomed through the room with force.  He pointed to the table, banging it with the tip of his finger.  "No one is free of suspicion.  Not you!"  He pointed at the two humans.  "Not the crew of Moya, myself, my family, or anyone else in this resistance, men, women, children alike!" he yelled, his face dark with anger.  Crais stroked his goatee, giving Aeryn, D'Argo and Braca a few moments to secretly peruse the others, trying to find any clue as to who the traitor could be while he tried to reign in his fury.  Crichton slowly made his way back to his seat, an angry red welt on his forehead, Morgan still standing at the other end of the table, her chest heaving with quick breaths.

When Crais finally spoke, his voice was lethally quiet, his brown eyes hard and commanding.  "From this moment on, all communication to and from Zorosa 3 will be carefully monitored.  All ships entering and leaving the system will be checked until we find our leak.  Is…that…clear?" he asked, emphasizing every word.  A chorus of 'yes sir' sang through the room.  Crais nodded curtly.  "I will assign an investigative team as soon as I am confident that those I pick for the team…are not our spy.  I expect…you to carry on your…duties as normal."  He gave the room one last going over.  "Dismissed," he snapped, standing with one hand on his hip, the other on the table, a glacial expression on his face as he watched his commanders leave, Morgan being the first one out of the room, her face hard and unyielding.

Zhaan approached him, her blue face still filled with concern.  She waited until the last of the resistance members filtered from the room, silently watching with her hands folded in her robes as Crais gathered the fake insignia from the table, laying it within the folder he had brought with him.  "Crais…" she started, pausing as he held up his hand, purposefully striding to the door and closing it, a bug sweeper in his hand.

Crais looked up at Zhaan and smiled softly.  "I do not believe it is Morgan, if that is what you were going to say," he commented, returning to stand next to her at the head of the table.

Her pale blue eyebrows rose and she regarded him suspiciously.  "What is going on?"

Crais sat down with a sigh.  "Exactly what I said.  I believe our…spy was in this room.  Ka D'Argo, Sr. Officer Sun and Lieutenant Braca are already investigating everyone, starting with the most suspicious members of our movement."

"That could be almost everyone," Zhaan pointed out.  Crais nodded.  "So, then, that display between John and Morgan was planned?"

"Yes. And well executed."  Crais chuckled.  "Although I do not believe Crichton was prepared for my wife's physical attack." His eyes met hers.  "I would appreciate it if you and Stark would continue watching over my son and my parents."  He hesitantly laid his hand over hers, knowing that he was asking a lot.  "There is no one else I trust."

Zhaan clasped Crais' hand between hers.  "We will.  And Morgan?"

Crais smiled.  "I have a plan to get Morgan, Tauvo and Terrick out of harms way and keep them safe.  Crichton will be aiding me in analyzing the information we gathered on Scorpius and determining where he will…appear next."

Zhaan's blue eyes locked with Crais'.  "I hope you know what you're doing," she whispered.

The smile faded from his face.  "So do I.  Everything we have built here depends on it."

Crichton and Morgan barged into the room, both of them smiling, although the look on Morgan's face was somewhat strained.  "I had an idea, but I'm not sure how well it will work," Crichton announced.  "Or if we can even pull it off."

Crais glanced back and forth between the two humans, his eyebrows raised.  "I take it by the look on Morgan's face that she does not like it," he calmly observed.  He glanced at Zhaan who shrugged.

Morgan had been pacing the conference room, rubbing her forehead from where she had head butted her cousin earlier.  She had apologized to Crichton as soon as they reached Father's barn, away from prying eyes, both of them trying very hard not to start laughing and reveal their presence to anyone lurking around.  "No, I think it's idiotic."

If Crais' eyebrows could've rose any higher, they would've.  It was not like Morgan to think one of cousin's hair-brained schemes was dumb.  She was usually the first one to back him up and somehow, between the two of them, Crichton's crazy plans always worked.  "What is this…idea?" he finally asked out of curiosity, waving with his hand, a smile of amusement on his face.

Crichton glanced at his cousin smugly.  "See, you were wrong.  He does want to hear it."  He stuck his tongue out at her childishly before turning blue eyes to Crais.  "Scarrens can pick up whether or not a person is lying, right?  You know, they can tell by an individual's body temperature and stuff."

Crais nodded, his eyes narrowing slightly as he tilted his head.  "Yes."

Crichton smiled.  "Okay.  We've met a few Scarrens that don't think all Sebaceans are the scum of the universe.  What if we find one that is sympathetic to the resistance and enlist his or her help to find the spy?  Have them sit in on the interrogations or follow D'Argo and the others around as they talk to people, " he finished, holding his hands out.

Zhaan stared at Crichton.  "That's an interesting idea John," she said, her face lighting up.

The Captain tapped the knuckle of his right forefinger against his pursed lips, the bonding tattoo clearing visible around his wrist as he considered Crichton's idea.  Crais had to admit it had merit.  "Do we know if any of the ships within the fleet have a Scarren dissident aboard?"  He ignored Morgan's glance of disdain.

Crichton shrugged, crossing his arms.  "It shouldn't be too hard to find out considering somebody we know went through and cross referenced all the resistance members in the databanks while we were gone."

Three sets of eyes turned to Morgan.  She looked at each of them, finally throwing her hands up in the air.  "Oh, well, then let's just hire Magnum Scarren, P.I. to find the spy!" She stormed over to the computer console, signing on and beginning the records search.  The room remained quiet and Morgan turned around slowly at her cousin's soft chuckle.  "What?" she snapped in irritation.

Crichton looked at her, ignoring the confused looks on Zhaan and Crais' faces.  "Magnum Scarren, P.I.?" he sniggered.  He walked towards her.  "He wouldn't happen to drive a red Ferrari would he?" Crichton asked, pretending he was driving a car before crossing one arm over his chest, the other propped on it, tapping his fingers against his lips, his eyes twinkling in amusement.

Morgan gazed at her cousin, the smile twitching at her lips.  "Oh, shut up," she chuckled, playfully punching his arm as she turned back to the computer monitor.

          Crais was beginning to wonder what had gotten into his wife.  She had returned to Talyn, laughing like a teenager without a care in the world and Crichton was only encouraging her, the two of them giving him a headache as they replayed the confrontation scene in the conference room over and over, patting each other on the back in praise, chuckling with mirth.  Crichton couldn't help laughing at Morgan's 'Magnum Scarren' comment, sending her into another round of hysterical laughter as they docked and left the transport pod.  Crais pinched the bridge of his nose, his eyes closed, wishing they would hurry up and say goodbye so he could kick Crichton off the gunship.

          Talyn chirped at him and he started towards the bridge, Morgan's laughter echoing off the bulkheads behind him.  He shook his head, a smile starting on his own lips.  He had to agree with Talyn's assessment of the situation.  Morgan had definitely improved.  

          "Crais!"

          The Captain turned at his wife's voice, stopping as she strode towards him, wrapping her arms around his waist and kissing him soundly on the lips, startling him with her sudden forwardness after so many months of being away from her and the shyness she had exhibited around him.  He wrapped one arm around her waist, drawing her closer and deepening the kiss, her arms sliding up his back.  When they finally came up for air, they were both shaking.

          "Okay," she whispered, her face flushed, her lips swollen.  She licked them, gazing up at him with sparkling blue eyes.  "So…why don't you meet me in our quarters in…half an arn for dinner."

          Crais raised one eyebrow, his lips twitching.  "Is…that what you want?" he asked softly, stroking her cheek with his forefinger.  As much as he wanted to take her right then and there, Crais kept the promise he made to himself to follow her lead.

          Morgan simply nodded, pulling away from him and heading up the corridor, a bounce in her step that had been missing, her ponytail swinging back and forth cheerily with her steps.

          "Yes, Talyn, I concur."  Crais shook his head, smiling to himself as he continued on to the bridge.  "She is most assuredly returning to her old self."  He had no idea how much she had improved and when he stepped into their quarters, Crais froze, his breath caught in his throat.  Morgan stood there waiting for him in a diaphanous azure blue gown that fastened at the shoulders in simple bows and swirled around her like a cloud, her hair falling over her shoulders, the swell of her breasts tantalizing him from the edge of the dress.   He could see the curves of her naked body through the thin material, the muscles of her toned figure rippling as she walked towards him.

"Well?" she asked, holding her arms out and turning around.  "Zhaan helped me make it."

          Crais swallowed, trying very hard to ignore the tightness in his groin as she approached.  "You look…beautiful," he finally managed to say as she reached out to him, taking the edges of the grey and black uniform jacket in her hands and pulling him towards her.  She slowly undid the buttons of his shirt, pushing it and the jacket from his shoulders, the clothing falling to the floor as she ran her hands down his chest, her eyes growing dark in longingly.  "I…thought…we were going…to…" he stopped, her hands hot against his skin.  Crais moaned quietly in the back of his throat, his eyes closed as she flicked her tongue over one of his nipples.  "Morgan."

          Morgan smiled at the way he murmured her name.  She had missed him, more than she realized and nothing was going to stop her from showing her husband how much.  Not Talyn, not Scorpius, not the resistance, not even Crais himself.  She reached back and removed the transponder from the cradle at the back of his neck as her lips met his in a demanding kiss.  "Dinner can wait," she whispered, taking his hands in hers and leading him back to the bed, laying the transponder next to her own on the bedside stand

          Crais realized that there were candles lit all over their quarters, the spicy scent of incense filling the air, some soft Earth music by a musician Morgan called Sting playing quietly in the background.  He let her push him back on the bed, positioning herself between his legs as he sat, her hands carefully removing the binding from his hair, her fingers running through his dark locks.  Crais reached out, laying his hands on her hips, leaning his cheek against her stomach and breathing in her scent, soft and intoxicating as she stroked his head, his cheek, his shoulders, the palms of her hands soft as they made their way up his arms and back.

          "I love you, Bialar," she whispered, kissing the top of his head.  "He couldn't take that away from me."

          Crais looked up at Morgan, their eyes meeting.  "No one will ever take that away from us," he answered, his face serious. 

          Morgan leaned down and kissed him again, pushing him back on the bed.  "No one," she agreed, trailing her lips down his neck and chest, the fabric of her gown soft against his skin, only serving to heighten his growing passion as it slid with her hard body down his.

          Crais wanted to touch her, wanted to strip the dress off of her and hold her, his hands twitching at his sides as her lips continued their way down to his waist.  When Morgan undid the button of his trousers, he laid his hands on her arms, gently pushing her back and sitting up, sliding the leathers and everything else off, knowing that if she had done it for him, he would never have been able to control himself.  The hurt look on her face just about undid him and reached his hands up, gently pulling the soft ties at her shoulders, letting the blue dress fall, sliding down her body as he rested his cheek against her bosom, his hands lovingly stroking her lower back.  

          Morgan pushed against him, smiling at his attentions as she began to wiggle in his grasp.  "No, no, no.  This is not how…it is supposed to go," she breathlessly protested, her hands sliding up to clench in his hair as he plastered soft kisses along her stomach.

          Crais peered up with her, never letting up his agonizing torture.  "And…tell me…how is it supposed to go?" he asked softly, his hands moving from the small of her back to her behind, gently kneading the soft flesh.

          "I'm supposed to be seducing you."  Morgan inhaled sharply as Crais pulled her against him, hot flesh against hot flesh, his lips trailing down her stomach, his goatee tickling her erotically.

          Crais chuckled, gently turning and laying Morgan on the bed, continuing his way down, his tongue darting out to lick the ticklish spot he knew was just above Morgan's hip, causing her to squirm beneath him.  "Morgan, you seduced me the day Talyn and I brought you on board."  He looked up at her, his dark eyes smoldering, all thoughts of the resistance and Scorpius gone from his mind, his only goal at the moment reuniting with his wife.

          She leaned up on her elbows, watching him as he trailed kisses across her belly, one hand caressing her leg, working it's way back up.  "There's…that control issue…again," she remarked, throwing her head back, closing her eyes as he continued his maddening torment, falling back on the bed and releasing a satisfied moan as she stopped resisting him.

          Crais smiled, knowing exactly what she referring to.  He had to admit she was in rare form.  "What control issue?" he asked huskily as she writhed beneath him, returning his lips to hers, effectively stopping any other comments she might want to make.  With one quick movement, Crais rolled onto his back, taking Morgan with him.  "Is this…better?" he whispered.

          Morgan grabbed his hands, holding them above his head as they made love, tossing her hair over one shoulder as she leaned down to kiss him, her lips trailing to his ears, her tongue lapping at the sensitive spot at the hollow of his neck.  

          Crais swallowed hard, his hands grasping her hips and rolled her again, pinning Morgan beneath him.  He gazed down at brushing her sweat soaked hair from her forehead.  "You're right…" he gasped, trying to reign in his passion.  "…I do…have a control…issue," he said, his mouth hungrily locking with hers.

          Morgan stroked Crais' back as he lay on her, his breath ragged as he tried to slow his heart, holding onto her, the fingers of his right hand playing with her hair, his left hand clasped tightly with hers.  She closed her eyes, a grin spreading on her face, the first genuine smile she had had in months.  "Well," she finally whispered, not able to help the devilishness that she knew annoyed her husband, "at least you admit it."

          Crais chuckled softly, leaning up and shifting positions so that he could gaze up at Morgan from where he lay, his chin propped on one hand, the other tracing lazy circles on her stomach.  The smile drifted from his face, his eyes darkening.  "I…need to ask you something," he whispered, his eyes locking with hers.

          Morgan pulled a pillow from the head of the bed, tucking it under her head as she looked at him.  "What?"  She tucked a stray piece of hair back behind his ear, waiting.  She could tell by the look on his face that something was bothering him. 

          Crais sighed.  "I don't want you on Zorosa 3 while…we look for the traitor.  Even with the Scarren dissident's help, it is going to be dangerous."  He shifted his weight, sliding his body up hers and capturing her earlobe between his lips, teasing her, letting his lips drift down her neck.  "And I need you…" Crais paused, enjoying the feeling of her hands stroking the top of his head, not wanting to ask this of her.  It was the only solution he found acceptable although he knew the two of them were still at odds.  Crais secretly hoped it would solve the problems between Morgan and Tauvo and allow a dialogue to open between them once again.  "…to work with Tauvo and the female Leviathan."

          Morgan froze, her body stiffening, her hands still on his head.  "You want me to what?" she hissed in disbelief.  She was beginning to think she was going to have to give Crais lessens in timing.

          He turned his head and looked up at her.  He realized she still had her hand entwined in his hair, fisted in anger.  "You have worked with this gunship, Morgan.  She has a pilot thanks to the efforts put forth by Moya, Pilot and yourself.  And she is comfortable with you."

          Morgan sat up, releasing her husband and roughly pushing him aside.  "Her name is Gaia.  Talyn named her."  She reached out, grabbing her robe from the end of the bed and standing up, tying it around her waist with annoyed motions.  She looked at him, her face flushed, whether from their lovemaking or anger, Crais couldn't tell.  "Why can't you do it?" she asked, pointing at him, her mouth pursed in anger.  She couldn't believe he was asking her to do this.

          Crais stood up, approaching Morgan with a forlorn sigh.  "I do not have the time.  And you being on Talyn or Gaia assures me of your safety."

          Morgan snorted in disgust, pushing her hair from her face.  "Assures you of my safety," she repeated ironically.  She walked over to the alcove where their dinner still sat spread out on the small table.  She took a bite of cheese, contemplating her husband as she chewed.  "So, who's going to ensure Tauvo's safety?" she snapped angrily.

          Crais sighed as he grabbed his trousers from the steelskin deck, pulling them on as he walked over to her.  He leaned one hand on the bulkhead.  "Terrick."

          Morgan's eyebrows went up.  "Terrick?"  She laughed as she popped a piece of fruit in her mouth.  "Are you fahrbot?  Who are you trying to get rid of? Me or both of them?" she finally asked, her eyes wide in amazement.  She reached for another piece of food, Crais grabbing her wrist.  Morgan looked up at him in surprise, his eyes hard, his face set in determined lines, his chin lifted in that arrogant and commanding way she knew only too well.  Morgan realized that he wasn't about to be swayed from this decision.

          "Terrick is going to make sure…that you and Tauvo don't kill each other.  Tauvo is doing me absolutely no good here as long as you are still angry with him."  He paused, licking his lips.  "And you have worked with Gaia and her pilot.  You know how to modify the transponders so he can…communicate and…" he paused, looking for the right words, "…guide her until her pilot is totally bonded."  Crais loosened his grip on her wrist, entwining her fingers with his.  "I am not about to let Scorpius tear this resistance apart by having my family at odds with one another.  As much as you hate to admit it, you are a vital part of this resistance.  And so is my brother.  I want the two of you safe."

          Morgan's eyes locked with his.  "What about you?" she simply posed.

          "I will be fine.  I have already arranged for my parents and Allan to be guarded."  Crais waited.

          Morgan sighed.  "Alright.  I'll teach Tauvo.  That's it. No more."  She paused, her lips pursed.  "But if something happens, don't hold me responsible."

          Crais knew she was referring to punching Tauvo's lights out, and he knew she wasn't joking.  Frankly, he was surprised the two of them hadn't come to blows yet, the possibility of Suleah still being alive keeping Morgan from beating the dren out of his brother.  "Thank you."

          Morgan nodded.  "You know, the last time you asked me to do something for you, I got attacked and our daughter got kidnapped."  She shook her head.

          Crais smiled softly, pulling her into his embrace.  "We are prepared this time."  He glanced down at her.  "And…you do it because…you love me?" he teased.

          Morgan laid her head on his chest.  "Sometimes that's debatable, Bialar," she whispered, looking up at him with a smile on her face, gladly tilting her face and accepting his kiss.

Scorpius lifted another morsel of food to his mouth as he inserted the data disk into the slot on his desk.  It had been a few weeks since his contact had last bothered to report in.  The only thing the scientist could do was hope that this was some news he was expecting.  He read the report, his eyes growing wide as he began to laugh, an eerie sound in the huge office.  

Duerell swept into the room in enough time to hear the scientist's laughter, her own face splitting with a smile at her commanding officer's apparent pleasure.  "I take it you have received good news, sir," she commented, sidling up to his desk and leaning one hip against it.

Scorpius stood up, his dinner forgotten as he turned to look out over the lab, motioning for her to join him.  "Wonderful news, Captain Duerell.  Wonderful news."  He waited until the Morlovian stepped up next to him, his hands clasped behind his back, a huge smile across his strange face.  "According to my source on Zorosa 3, Captain Langtree-Crais and her cousin Crichton are fighting, accusing each other of being a spy."  He held up one gloved hand, silencing the woman before she could speak.  "And…" he looked at her, "…it seems Morgan attempted to kill her brother-in-law when he told her he killed Suleah."

Duerell's face lit up and she moved closer to the half-Scarren scientist, laying her hand on his arm in familiarity.  "That is good news," she whispered, her sharp teeth visible in the light.  "Before long, you will have the formula, Crais and his resistance will be dead and…"

"…the universe will be mine to claim as the leader of the Peacekeepers," he finished, softly.  His eyes narrowed calculatingly as he watched a wormhole appear and disappear in the confined lab.  The door to his office opened and he turned, his smile growing wider as a female Peacekeeper came in, a small black haired tot in her hands.  The child wiggled in the woman's arms, frantically trying to get loose and the Peacekeeper set her down.  Scorpius squatted, his arms wide open as the tot ran to him.  He swung her up into his arms, tossing her in the air and catching her as she squealed in delight.  "And how is my little vixen today?" he whispered, carrying her back to the window, bouncing her on one hip as he smiled down at her.  The little girl returned his smile, tweaking his nose.  

Duerell watched in amazement as Scorpius whispered to the child, taking in her blue eyes, the shiny black hair that was pulled back in a tight queue.  "Who is this beguiling child?" she whispered, reaching out for the girl.

Scorpius looked down at the little girl.  "The key to our victory," he whispered, kissing the child's forehead as she snuggled against him, her head beneath his chin as she gazed down at Duerell with unusual blue eyes, two fingers in her mouth, her other hand gripping Scorpius' uniform tightly.  "Suleah Crais."


	5. Chapter Four

Chapter Four

Gaia's bridge was considerably smaller than Talyn's, which made it easier for Morgan to reach the tools she needed, spread out across the control panels.  She held Tauvo's transponder in one hand, biting her lower lip as she tweaked the controls inside until she found what she hoped was Gaia's frequency.  Morgan put her laser tool down, tucking it into it's home within the folding case.  The advanced tools Crais had found and purchased for her made modifying the transponders much easier.  She popped the transponder into the cradle at the back of her neck, her fingers crossed that she had found the right frequency.  Immediately the female Leviathan began to chatter.

_~ Morgan!  You did it!  I can talk to you now!  How wonderful!  Do you know what Talyn told me?  He said…~_

Morgan laughed at Gaia's exuberance.  "Gaia, slow down!" she said, shaking her head as she picked up her own transponder.  Now that she knew what frequency the other ship operated on, Morgan could install the switch in hers, allowing her to communicate with both gunships.  She listened to Gaia chatter, talking about the virtues of having a pilot and a Sebacean captain and Morgan smiled deviously.  Morgan was half tempted to install a switch in Crais' transponder just to get him back for saddling her with the dubious honor of teaching Tauvo how to work with Gaia.  The young female's chattering would drive the stoic Captain insane.  

Gaia's clamshell sprang to life, Crais having had the foresight to allow them to develop sooner than Talyn's.  "Captain Crais, the transport pod with Commander Crais and Officer Crais has arrived," Minka, Gaia's pilot, informed her.  Morgan could have sworn the alien actually frowned as she tried to remember who was who.  She was of the same species as Pilot, younger, smaller as the females of their species were, and overjoyed at the opportunity of working with all of them.  Pilot actually recommended Minka, Chiana and D'Argo having taken Moya to his home planet to pick up the alien after the elders deemed her worthy while Morgan was still recovering from Scorpius' meddling.  She wondered how much influence Pilot had in that endeavor, Talyn having told her about the strict guidelines they imposed on those that were being considered for joining.  

"Oh joy," Morgan muttered less than enthused by Minka's news.  She didn't bother to hurry and greet them, knowing that Terrick would make it to the bridge before Tauvo, only because the older man had to stow his gear.  Besides, she really was not in the mood to face her brother-in-law.  Morgan snapped the back of her transponder shut, removing Tauvo's from the cradle and inserting her own.  "Okay Talyn, let's try this."  Morgan closed her eyes and reached back, switching her transponder so that she could communicate with both ships simultaneously.  She staggered back into the console, shaking her head at the strength of the feeds, both ships talking to her at once.  Morgan pushed down the wave of nausea and dizziness that threatened to overtake her, gripping the nearest console so hard that her knuckles went white, desperate to maintain some semblance of control.  "Yes, I hear both of you.  How can I not?  You guys are shouting at me," Morgan answered, pinching the bridge of nose as she felt a headache coming on.  She quickly changed her mind about modifying Crais' transponder.  Even as annoyed at him as she was, Morgan simply could not subject him to this.  It was bad enough she was subjecting herself to it.  She let out a deep breath as Talyn backed off in apology, feeling her discomfort, sending soothing waves over her until she could stand on her own.  Morgan switched the transponder over to Gaia's frequency.  She now had a really good idea of what Crais experienced when he first bonded with Talyn.  The only difference was that Gaia knew she was a hybrid, thanks to Talyn's helpful guidance.

Terrick walked onto the bridge, the smile fading from his face as he looked at Morgan.  Her face was sickly gray, sweat streaming down her face, her whole body shaking.  "You look like dren.  What have you been doing?"  He moved over the console as Morgan opened her eyes to look at him, steadying her with one hand wrapped around her upper arm.  "Do I need…to call Uncle Tauvo or Father?" he asked softly, his dark eyes filled with worry.  

"No, I'll be alright.  I was just trying to converse with two Leviathan gunships at once.  Not a good idea," Morgan answered as she pushed herself away from the console and crossed the bridge in two steps, reaching out to roll up the case with her tools, her hands still shaking.  "So?"

Terrick tried to keep the smile from lips but couldn't.  He knew Morgan wanted to know what Crais had said to him.  She had been out of contact with him for a few arns, giving his father ample time to instruct his oldest son in the finer points of negotiation.  "Well, father basically told me that my job was to resolve any disputes between you and my uncle."  He crossed his ankles as he leaned on the console Morgan had vacated.  "Essentially, if you and uncle get into a disagreement, I am to make sure that you don't kill each other."  He gazed down at his fingernails, the expression of sadistic glee on his face reminding Morgan of Crais.  "In any manner I deem appropriate."

She approached her stepson slowly, crossing her arms as she tucked her tongue in her cheek, the color finally returning to her face.  Feet planted firmly on the deck, Morgan cocked her head and stared at Terrick.  "And whose side will you take?" she asked softly.

Terrick looked up at Morgan, smiling.  "Yours of course," he replied indignantly.  "Trust me.  I know which side my proverbial bread is buttered on."  He peered through the bridge's entrance, then turned to Morgan.  "Father can live without Uncle Tauvo.  He can't live without you."

Morgan reached out and patted Terrick's cheek.  Their bond had strengthened over the last monen and she was actually beginning to feel affection for the teen.  "That's my boy.  You learn quick Terrick."  She returned to packing her tools at the sound of measured footsteps coming up the corridor.

"Thank you," Terrick answered, squeezing her shoulder gently as he moved to communications console to help.

Tauvo walked onto Gaia's bridge as Morgan turned to face him, her expression still dark as she gazed at him in disdain.  She leaned back against the console and crossed her arms, the muscles bulging in her upper arms as she clenched her fists to keep from lashing out at her brother-in-law.  "Well, it looks like we're stuck with each other," she remarked bitterly.

Tauvo nodded as he approached her.  She stared at him, her blue eyes filled with menace and he swallowed.  "I just hope my brother is…" He scratched his cheek nervously, turning away from Morgan's accusing glare.  "…able to resolve this spy matter quickly."

"That makes two of us."  Morgan refused to even be nice to Tauvo.  Not until her daughter was safe in her arms once more or until she had proof that Suleah was dead, no matter how much Tauvo apologized, begged, pleaded…she pushed the thought of Suleah from her mind, lifting her chin as she moved to the center of the bridge, Tauvo's transponder in her hand.  She ran her arm around the rim of Gaia's circular ceiling, smiling softly at the female gunship's soft question.  "Yes, Gaia, this is your new Captain," she answered softly.  A tendril of wires, organic material and muscle snaked upwards from an opened deck plate and Morgan inserted the transponder in the waiting claw. 

Tauvo licked his lips anxiously.  Crais had told him very little about what would happen, leaving it up to Morgan.  He gazed at her.  "Will this hurt?"

Morgan turned at his question.  "Will this hurt?" she echoed incredulously, a dumb-founded look on her face.  "What the frell do you think?" she asked sarcastically, the defiant attitude that had been missing since returning from Scorpius' clutches finally appearing.  "Uh, let me think about this," she mocked, tapping her finger against her lip.  She walked around him, reassuring Gaia that even though Morgan was angry with Tauvo, the young gunship had nothing to fear.  Tauvo turned with Morgan, waiting for her answer and she stopped, the transponder directly behind him.  Something snapped in Morgan and without warning she used her link with Gaia to slam the transponder into the back of Tauvo's neck, her eyes narrowing coldly as he sank to his knees with a howl.  Morgan knelt across from him, one arm leaning casually on her knee.  "Yeah, Tauvo, it hurts."

"You…bitch," he hissed, shaking as he tried to absorb all the new sensations he was experiencing.  He leaned his head on the deck, breathing in and out in shallow breaths.  He suddenly began to have visions, a soft, feminine voice he could only assume was Gaia whispering in his mind, trying to soothe him.  The sensations were remarkable and terrifying all at the same time.

"Queen bitch to you," she remarked, standing back up.  Morgan softened enough to dampen the feed a bit, allowing her brother-in-law a chance to get used to it.

"Is Commander Crais all right?" Minka asked, her face etched with worry.  She understood Morgan's anger with Tauvo, Talyn having explained it all to her and Gaia, yet she was still worried for the Sebacean she would be working with.

Morgan moved over the consoles, shutting down the systems she planned having Tauvo learn.  "Yeah, Minks, he'll be fine," she answered nonchalantly, reaching down and hauling Tauvo to his feet.

Tauvo jerked his arm free from her grip.  "You…really are a… heartless bitch, Morgan," he whispered, closing his eyes tightly and shaking, trying hard to stem the flow of information he was suddenly bombarded with.  "It is no wonder my brother…loves you."

Morgan glanced at Terrick before stepping up to Tauvo, her face denches from his.  "I'm heartless?  You haven't seen heartless, yet, Tauvo.  Trust me, you don't want to.  I could've made this a lot worse."  Morgan turned to the comm console.  "Alright.  First thing I want you to do is take a look around Gaia."

"No."  Tauvo glared at her defiantly through narrowed eyes, tears of pain slipping from their brown depths.

"No?" Morgan repeated, stepping closer.

Terrick rubbed his chin, getting set to step in.  He could see Morgan's temper growing and he remembered the day she slammed his head against the bars in the holding cell.  He stood up from where he leaned against the weapons console, planting himself firmly between his stepmother and uncle.  "Maybe it would be a good idea for Uncle Tauvo to get used to this first," he calmly suggested, gazing down at Morgan.

"Why?  Your father didn't have time.  I didn't have time.  Why should he be any different?" she questioned, trying not to turn the brunt of her annoyance on him.  Terrick was only doing what Crais asked, considering right now she wanted to throttle Tauvo. 

Before either man could answer, Gaia began to chatter at them in a panicked voice_.  ~ Morgan, there is a ship moving into the sector, a very big ship. ~_

Minka confirmed Gaia's warning as Morgan switched her transponder frequency to both gunships.  "Confirmed, Captain.  It's a Peacekeeper command carrier."

"Frell!"  She started off the bridge.  "Terrick, stay here.  Don't let them do anything crazy.  Gaia, you remain in orbit, got it?"  Morgan switched over to Talyn only, immediately signaling Crais.  _Hey, we've got uninvited company_, she thought, hopping up into her Prowler.

_I know.  Leris' command carrier is on an intercept course.  They are asking to speak to Captain Crais,_ he answered, his voice warm in her mind.  He chuckled softly.  _What you did to Tauvo was not very nice.  Talyn let me watch._

_Dren happens, my dear.  I'm sick of his whiny attitude.  _Morgan flipped the switches on the console before her, the Prowler beginning to vibrate gently around her as she fired up the fighter.

Crais actually laughed, the sound sending shivers through Morgan.  _You are not the only one_.  He paused.  _Would you like to do the honors?  I'm sure you will not allow anyone who is not…cleared…into the sector considering the mood you're in.  _He knew better than to ask her if she was all right, having been the recipient of her colorful comments on more than one occasion.

_What mood would that be?_ Morgan asked, smiling as she lifted the Prowler from the deck and sped out of Gaia's landing bay like a shot, Talyn already banking away from the other ships, following behind the resistance carrier.

_Ready to kill._

"You got that right," Morgan muttered, powering down as her Prowler was caught by Talyn's docking web.  She ran through the corridors, pulling on her uniform jacket as she went, almost sliding past the bridge doors as she went.  She grabbed the doorframe, stopping herself and staring at the bridges occupants, still locked in an intimate embrace and oblivious to the fact that Talyn was on an intercept course with a Peacekeeper command carrier.  Morgan laughed at the absurdity of the situation.  "Am I interrupting anything?" she asked, staring at Crichton and Aeryn who stood there looking like two kids that had been caught with their hands in the cookie jar.

"Morgan!  Hi!" Crichton stammered, moving away from Aeryn who simply smiled at her.  "We were…uh…just…well…"

"Using Talyn's databases to research this list of names who may be our spy," Aeryn finished.  "What is going on?"

Morgan tried very hard not to smack the stupid smile off of Crichton's face as she walked past.  "We have company," she answered, her demeanor suddenly very serious.  The clamshell sprang to life as Talyn quickly overtook the resistance's carrier, displaying the new arrival.

"Oh frell," Crichton whispered.  "Scorpy?"

Morgan shook her head as she analyzed the data Talyn fed her.  "Nope.  Someone by the name Mele-On Grayza."  She looked at her companions.  "Ring a bell?"

Aeryn tilted her head as she stared darkly at Crichton, her arms folded over her chest.  "Quite a few.  Especially for Crichton."  She turned away, concentrating on the weapons console.  "I'm sure it rings a few other things too," she hissed under her breath.

Morgan heard Aeryn's comment and looked at her cousin, who was suddenly very fascinated with the comm console, stealing a glance now and then at them.  She took her place at the center of the bridge, Talyn's weapons locked onto the command carrier.  She opened the comm channels.  "This the Resistance gunship Talyn and you are trespassing in restricted space.  State the nature of your business or leave the area," Morgan commanded, her hands clasped behind her back.

Crichton looked at her over his shoulder at the authoritative tone of her voice and shuddered slightly.  His cousin was spending way too much time with Crais.  He looked at the clamshell as the image changed, the visage of the carriers commander appearing before them.

"_This is Commandant Mele-On Grayza of the Peacekeeper carrier Roshik.  I am here under a flag of truce to speak with Captain Crais, not one of his flunkies_," she responded haughtily.

_~ She hasn't changed ~_ Crais commented in Morgan's mind.  

She knew he had been monitoring the exchange.  "You are speaking to Captain Crais," Morgan replied sweetly, giving the half-naked woman on the screen a smile.

Grayza snorted in disgust.  _"You are not Captain Crais.  I do not know who you are, but I demand to speak to Crais at once,"_ Grayza demanded.

Morgan's fists clenched behind her back, her lips pursing in annoyance.  Without warning, Talyn fired across the carriers bow.  Grayza had come into the sector with her weapons and shields powered down, not a very smart move in the human's opinion.  "That…was a warning shot.  You have no jurisdiction here, so your demands mean nothing to me, Commandant," Morgan commented, snarling the last word.  "Now, I am Captain Morgan Langtree-Crais, second in command here.  State your business or the command carrier off of my ship's bow will open fire."

Grayza peered at someone behind her before turning back to Morgan.  _"I am here to ask for amnesty for my people.  And to try and forge an alliance with your movement."_

Aeryn choked at her words.  "She's up to something."  Her eyes met Morgan's.  "Be careful."

_~ Tell her to come aboard Talyn with only a Marauder crew, Morgan.  Once aboard, bring her back here, ~_ Crais instructed.  _~ I do not like this. ~_

_~ That makes two of us. ~_  "Commandant Grayza, if you wish to speak with Captain Bialar Crais, then you and a Marauder crew are to launch and arrive upon Talyn in one quarter arn.  If you're not here by then, then I will know you do not mean what you say and you will be running from us. Is that clear?"

"_Perfectly_," Grayza answered in fury, her eyes sparking, shooting daggers at the human woman.

Morgan cut the transmission and looked at Crichton and Aeryn.  "Who the hell is the bitch with the bodacious tatas?" she growled, staring at her cousin for explanation.

"Bodacious tatas?" Aeryn asked in confusion.

Crichton waved her off as he fell into step with Morgan, the three of them heading for the landing bay.  "She was the one who came up with the Peacekeeper-Scarren alliance," he answered, tossing a pulse rifle to Aeryn and checking the power in his own, avoiding eye contact with both of them.

_~ And the one who overthrew Scorpius ~_ Talyn added.

Morgan stopped in her tracks at Talyn's comment.  "Overthrew Scorpius?" she asked, her eyebrows up in disbelief.

"It's…a long story, Morgan.  Come on," Crichton commented nervously, reaching for her, trying to keep his cousin from delving any further into his dealings with Grayza.

"Aw no."  She shook her head, an evil smile crossing her face and planting her feet firmly on the deck, refusing to budge.  "You're not telling me something."

Aeryn propped the pulse rifle on her hip, leaning the other against the bulkhead.  "He's not telling you a lot of things," the Sebacean commented nastily.

"Aeryn!" Crichton hissed, his face turning red.  He sighed, running his fingers through his hair in exasperation.  "Grayza knew about Scorpius' wormhole project and when she found out that I carried the secret of creating a stable wormhole in my head, she came after me."  He licked his lips, wiping his suddenly sweaty palms on his leathers.  "Morgan, this woman is dangerous.  She reduced Scorpius to a drooling mass of Scarren and Sebacean flesh, okay?  She has this thing implanted in her that causes her to release pheromones that she can use to enslave men and make them do their bidding."

"Yeah, it's called a heppel gland.  Braca told me about his experiences with her, although he never mentioned her name.  He said the happiest he'd ever been was when Scorpius came back into power and got him away from her."  Morgan stared at Crichton.  He never could hide anything from her.  Or lie to her, even when they were kids.  "Keep going."

"She…uh…"

"Tried to get John here to give her the formula when they were on Arnessk," Aeryn finished, her voice cold, her eyes hard as she glared at her human lover.  

Morgan noticed the stony look on Aeryn's face, felt the tension between them and put two and two together.  She started laughing.  "Jesus H. Christ, John!  You boinked her, didn't you?"  Morgan accused, watching as the embarrassment rushed up Crichton's neck to his face, making him look a lobster that just came out of the cooking pot.

"I wasn't exactly in my right mind at the time!" he yelled back in defense.  

"You can say that again," Aeryn quipped sarcastically, checking the charge on her pulse pistol, tempted to shoot Crichton.

Morgan shook her head, turning and walking up the corridor a short piece, trying to regain her control.  She turned back to them, pointing at Crichton.  "What?  Was Mr. Happy thinking for you?"

"Shut up, Morgan!"

Morgan wrapped her arm around his waist, pulling him with her as she started towards the landing bay.  "So, answer this question for me, cowboy," Morgan started, glancing up him smugly.  "Was Commandant Grayza any good in the sack?"

Crichton stopped walking.  "That's not funny, Morgan!  She raped me!"

"Not according to what I heard," Aeryn remarked icily as she pushed past her human lover, leaving Crichton in the corridor, absolutely mortified.

Morgan doubled over at the sudden mental image.  She propped her hands on her knees, trying not to fall to Talyn's deck in a fit of hysterical laughter.  She shook her head.  "You…you were worried about me…doing the deed with Crais and all this time you've been…hiding the secret that you got down and dirty with Commandant Cleavage!" she giggled, wiping the tears from her eyes.

"Aw c'mon Morgan," he pleaded, banging Wynonna against his forehead.  "Give me a break."

Morgan sniffed as she stood up, grinning from ear to ear as she pulled herself together.  "Oh no, buddy boy.  That ain't gonna happen."  She followed Aeryn.  

"Dammit," he whined, slamming his fist into the bulkhead.  "This is all I need."  He followed Aeryn and Morgan into the landing bay in enough time to see Grayza coming down the ramp of the Marauder, an outraged expression on her face that was directed towards Morgan.

"I do not know who you are or what you think you think you're doing, but you have no right to order me around," Grayza stated, stopping just denches from Morgan.  She didn't even notice Crichton standing next to his cousin, so was so incensed.

A bald man stepped up next to Grayza.  "Commandant, I do not think we will win any points with Captain Crais this way," he commented, his eyes meeting Aeryn's.  He lifted his chin, nodding.  "Officer Sun, we meet again."

"Hello Venna," Aeryn answered coldly, the pulse rifle in her hands still aimed at Grayza.

"You know him?" Crichton asked, peering around Morgan.

"Yes.  Venna and I have been friends a long time.  He was the one that helped me when I…" She didn't finish the sentence, the memories of that time in her life painful.

Morgan stood there and took it all in, observing Grayza.  The woman was definitely dangerous, her eyes dark and calculating, not to mention the ample amount of cleavage she displayed.  Morgan shifted her weight, leaning on her left leg as she crossed her arms, not impressed with the Commandant's show of force.  "Well, she sure as hell ain't winning any points with me," Morgan finally remarked, her eyes never leaving Grayza's.  "Commandant, as I said before, you have no jurisdiction in this sector and…"

"Do you?" Grayza asked, her eyebrows rising in challenge.

Morgan smiled, nodding.  "As a matter of fact we do.  The surrounding systems have accepted the resistance's free protection in exchange for supplying our people with the necessary material we need to keep going.  It is a very mutually advantageous arrangement and everyone is happy."  She dropped her arms to prop them on her hips.  "Now, if you would like to discuss amnesty, you will tell your carrier to continue standing down."

"My people will assure that, Captain," Venna remarked quietly.

"Your people?" Aeryn asked.  

Venna simply nodded.

Grayza pulled herself up to her full height, her chin lifted in conceit.  "Very well.  Take me to Crais.  What I have to discuss with him is for his ears only."

Morgan had turned to head back to the bridge but stopped, slowly facing the other woman.  Her temper had flared suddenly, Talyn growing concerned that she might break down right there in another attack.  His concern was needless as Morgan grabbed a hold of the thin fabric that barely covered Grayza and slammed her into the Prowler that was docked behind her, stunning the Peacekeeper.  "Look here, lady, anything you 'discuss' with Captain Crais, you'll 'discuss' with his command staff present," Morgan hissed.  "You don't like those terms, then get the frell off my ship and out of this sector."  Morgan motioned for Crichton to follow her, leaving Grayza, Venna and the three other crewmembers under Aeryn and Talyn's armed and watchful eye.  "And do me a favor, put on some frelling clothes," she called back as they left.

Morgan and Crais strode side by side through the corridor leading into his office on Zorosa 3, both of them dreading the conversation that was about to commence.  The Captain had taken Morgan up on her suggestion of using a Scarren to flush out the spy, finding one by the name of Boortok in custody on a Luxan cruiser.  His only crime, according the data records Talyn had managed to find on him, was going absent without leave from his regiment after disobeying a direct order from his superior to kill a Sebacean prisoner.  Boortok was born of the upper class and his family had been stationed on the borders of Peacekeeper territory.  He had made many friends among the Sebaceans there and was for a peace agreement between their two races, thankful for the chance to help the resistance.  Crais wondered how many more like him were in the Uncharted Territories.

Boortok was already waiting for them as they walked in, Braca, Crichton, Shantar and Tauvo also present.  Crais noticed that Tauvo and Morgan ignored each other.  With Grayza on the prowl, for Crais was sure she was looking for information, he needed a united front.  _~ At least be civil to my brother until we get rid of her.  We don't want her to suspect anything. ~_

Morgan simply smiled in response, moving to stand behind his chair.  She leaned over his shoulder, her breath warm against his neck.  "If I see you get within ten feet of that woman, I'll fix Talyn's cybernetic bleed back ability."

Crais chuckled.  "I assure you, Morgan, that will not be necessary."

She stood up, patting his shoulder as Aeryn followed Grayza and Venna into the office.  "It better not be."

Grayza walked right up to Crais' desk, her hands on her hips.  "I see the rumors are true.  You did survive the starburst from Scorpius' command carrier."  She glared at Morgan, pointing at the human.  She had taken the opportunity to find out what she could about Captain Morgan Langtree-Crais while on route to Talyn and wondered how she could use Crais' wife to get to him.  "Your second in command needs to be kept on leash Crais.  Or taught some manners."  She gazed around the room, nodding.  "What an interesting mix you have."  She slinked over to Braca.  "I have missed you, Braca." Grayza reached up and stroked Braca's cheek with mock affection.

Braca's eyes met Crais briefly before returning to Grayza.  He took a step back, putting some space between them.  "The feeling, Commandant, is not mutual," he answered, pulling a cloth from his pocket and wiping his cheek defiantly.

Grayza looked as if she were about to smack him, but continued around the room.  She stopped at Crichton and reached up to caress his cheek.  "Hello John," she purred, watching as he licked his lips nervously.

Aeryn grabbed Grayza's wrist, her eyes hard and deadly.  "I wouldn't advise it."

Grayza jerked her hand away and moved past the Scarren.  Boortok simply hissed at her as she finally sat down in the chair opposite Crais, not even acknowledging Tauvo and Shantar, both men exhibiting looks of relief that they had been looked over by the Peacekeeper.  "Let's get down to business."

Crais stared at her, his face a mask, no emotion reflected on it all, although Morgan and Talyn could both feel the anger and mistrust roiling within him.  That Grayza had the nimvoks to come here was enough to anger him.  "Yes.  Let's."

Grayza leaned back in the chair and pulled her leg up on her knee.  "I have come here seeking amnesty and protection."

"From what?" Morgan asked, leaning on the console behind her.

Grayza's eyes shot daggers at Morgan.  Her dislike of the human woman was plain.  "The Scarrens and the remnants of the Peacekeeper regime under Scorpius.  I will not join him.  He wants one thing and one thing only and that is the wormhole formula for which he will stop at nothing to get."

"So we noticed," Crichton quipped.

Grayza continued, ignoring him.  "The Scarrens have broken the treaty and are raiding the far colonies.  Those who are for peace have come with me.  The rest of my fleet is standing by.  They want peace, as do I."

Crais peered at Morgan for a moment, then to Boortok.  The Scarren nodded at the unspoken question, confirming that Grayza was not lying.  "If we decide to give you...amnesty, what...exactly can you offer in return?" Crais folded his hands on his desk, leaning forward towards Grayza.  He didn't trust her. 

Grayza smiled, licking her lips in a manner that was supposed to be provocative.  It was all Morgan could do not to leap over the desk and smack her and Grayza knew it.  She ran her finger down the valley between her breasts, smiling seductively as she noticed Morgan's hand tighten around Crais' shoulder.  "I can offer you the name of your troublesome spy and the location of you daughter, who is very much alive."


	6. Chapter Five

Chapter FIVE

Crais looked up as D'Argo, Aeryn, Braca and Boortok silently entered his office, the Luxan securing the door.  He motioned to the chairs before his desk, accepting the report on the spy from Aeryn.  Soon they would have the spy in custody and could find out exactly what had been reported to Scorpius.  He glanced over it and looked up, his eyes dark, his expression grim.  "You are positive…beyond any doubt…that this is our spy?"

D'Argo nodded.  "We interviewed everyone under suspicion as you ordered, eliminating the senior members of you command staff first."  D'Argo and Boortok had remained standing, the Luxan's hands gripping the back of Braca's chair.  "It took quite a bit of research to verify the spy's identity."

Aeryn looked up at D'Argo and then to Crais, tapping her fingers on the arm of her chair, a nervous habit she had picked up from Crichton.  "Did Grayza give you the information on the spy?"  The question weighed heavily on the groups minds, each of them, with the exception of the Scarren, hoping that they had missed something that pointed to someone else.  The look on the Captain's face was not reassuring.

Crais leaned back in his chair with a deep breath, exhaling slowly as he stroked his goatee.  "Yes…and your findings match everything she provided."

D'Argo snorted.  "That is surprising."

Braca finally spoke up, having earned some respect from Aeryn and D'Argo as they worked together to locate the spy, proving to them that he wasn't the monster they thought.  "I wonder if she is wanting more than just amnesty.  Willfully providing the spies identity as well as Suleah's location is not her style."  He shifted in the chair, uncomfortable with Grayza's presence on Zorosa 3.  "I don't trust her Captain, especially after what she did to Crichton and I.  She is up to something."

Crais nodded, standing up.  "I concur."  He unbuttoned the top button on his uniform shirt as he thought, his eyes going to D'Argo.  "Ka D'Argo, you are not affected by the Commandant's…unique charm.  If you are…agreeable, I would ask that you and Chiana keep a close watch on Grayza."  He chuckled softly, leaning on hip on his desk and scratching the back of his neck as he glanced down at the report lying before him.  "I'm sure Chiana could…extract some useful information from her."

D'Argo easily understood Crais' unspoken meaning, knowing the small Nebari woman would do anything to get into Grayza's quarters and have a thorough look around.  It felt good to be useful again and D'Argo ignored that fact that it was Crais who was providing the opportunity.  "It would be my pleasure."

Crais inclined his head in thanks.  A smile crept across his face and he leaned his arms on his thigh as he shook his head.  

Aeryn was the first to notice the strange look on the ex-Peacekeeper.  "What's the matter?"

Crais' eyes met hers.  "Nothing.  Talyn just informed me that Morgan is…giving my brother a healthy dose of her sharp tongue."  His comment caused a collective chuckle to roll through the room, with the exception of Boortok who was not aware of the trials the human woman had been through.  Crais held his hands up, quieting them back down, the smile still firmly in place.  "Boortok, your assistance has been most invaluable.  I would like you to join my command staff."

Three sets of eyes looked at the Scarren who had been pacing the length of the office.  He inclined his lizard-like head towards Crais, hissing slightly.  "I accept."

Crais stood back up, clasping his hands behind his back as he himself began to pace behind his desk, his face sobering.  "Braca, Aeryn, arrange a meeting with the command staff for tomorrow night."  He paused, sighing.  "And invite our spy and Commandant Grayza."  He glanced at them as they nodded and filed out, leaving Crais alone in his office.  He sighed, opening his link to Talyn and quickly finding Morgan through the double link she had established between both ships.  Her mind briefly touched his and Crais smiled as he settled back down in his chair, closing the link, that brief touch enough to sustain him.  He pinched the bridge of his nose, his eyes closed, as he contemplated the delicate nature of the problem he faced.  The spy's identity came as a shock to him and he knew he was going to have to handle the situation carefully.  

Crais leaned forward, picking up a small holo-chip Grayza had given him earlier in the day.  He held it in the palm of his hand, triggering the image.  A pair of bright, Crichton blue eyes gazed at him from a sweet face that already held the future promise of Morgan's unique beauty combined with his own dark features.  The image laughed and Crais swallowed past the ache in the back of his throat.

"I take it that's your daughter," a voice commented from the doorway.

Crais closed his hand, the image disappearing.  He looked up at Venna as he pocketed the chip, standing up, his face quickly assuming its customary mask of commanding authority.  "Yes."

Venna nodded, unfolding one arm to point to the chair.  "May I come in?"  He had seen the Captain's anguished look, but didn't comment on it, knowing Crais was not the type to display his emotions publicly or discuss them openly.

"By all means," Crais answered, walking over to the sideboard.  "Can I offer you a drink?"  He tossed back the shot of raslak he had poured, letting the liquid wash the lump in his throat away.

"No.  Thank you anyway."  Venna sat down and propped on leg up on the other, carefully watching the resistance's leader, wondering if Crais would've joined them sooner had he been truthful with him on Elcaris.  "She's a beautiful child, Crais.  I would never have placed you as a father."

Crais moved back to his desk, his composure firmly in place.  "Suleah is beautiful.  And so is her brother."

Venna smiled.  "Yes, I've met Allan.  Although I would have to question your choice in keepers.  Are you sure he is safe with the Bannik?"

Crais laughed as he took his seat.  "Stark is harmless.  The most Allan could be influenced by him is by picking up his calming ways."  His expression changed slightly, a look of mild apprehension crossing his face.  "Although I have caught Allan chanting in his crib."  Crais' eyes met Venna's and the two ex-Peacekeepers laughed at the comment, silence falling between them after a few microts.  "You were not very…truthful with me on Elcaris," Crais continued seriously.

Venna casually shrugged, his eyes locked with Crais'.  "The resistance was still in its infancy.  And you were supposed to be dead.  Believe me, I wanted to tell you, but your brother advised against it."

Crais' eyes narrowed, his lips thinning.  "That does not surprise me," he replied dryly.  He waved his hand as if brushing his temporary annoyance aside.  "It is reassuring to know that we have a capable intelligence agent within the resistance."

"Thank you, Captain.  Although, at this time, I wish I had more information on Grayza's plans," Venna said, wiping his hand over his bald head.

"I suspect she wants more than amnesty."

"Oh, that's almost guaranteed.  I still have men in place on her carrier delving for information.  I made sure that those loyal to the resistance and to me accompanied me when I first met with her.  I am still not sure how she learned of my identity and was able to contact me."

Crais canted his head at Venna's words.  "Could she have contacted Tadace?"   He stroked his goatee in thought, wishing Crichton were in the room.  The human Commander had more experience with Grayza and his insight might have been useful.  

Venna shook his head.  "It is possible, but doubtful.  High Command was already in a shambles by the time she made contact with us."  He pursed his lips for a moment.  "The group of Scarrens that are with her, though, really are looking for a new home.  They are sick of the fighting," he added, glancing down at his dusty boots.  "As we are."

 "The Scarrens will not be easily welcomed."

Venna nodded in agreement.  "They know that.  But they are willing to do their share.  I've met quite a few of them.  Most think Scorpius is an abomination and should be killed, blaming him for the current unrest between our two races.  The majority, though, simply want to raise their families in peace."  He shifted, leaning his elbows on his knees.  "It's amazing how little we really know about them."

Crais leaned forward, shuffling through the plastic sheets that littered the surface of his desk.  "Yes.  We've only had the…pleasure of engaging their formidable military."  He suddenly peered towards the door, hearing something.  He waited a moment, his hand resting on his pulse pistol, but no one appeared.  He returned his attention to Venna.  "We will have to proceed carefully and with diplomacy."

Venna's lips twitched.  "I'm sure you've had a fair amount of diplomatic encounters since we last met."

Crais glared at Venna, his face darkening slightly.  "If you are referring to the incident on Elcaris, kindly remember that we were given very little choice in the matter," he sharply reminded the junior officer before him.

Venna held up his hands in surrender, knowing better than to bait Crais that way.  He could tell that, even though the ex-Peacekeeper had married and seemed to be more in control than ever, Crais' temper was still something to remain on the good side of.  Venna knew the Captain could still be ruthless when the situation called for it.  "Easy Captain Crais.  Being forced to clean up a town at gunpoint was not the worst thing we've ever done."  He dropped his hands to his lap at Crais' grunt of agreement.  "By the way, you didn't happen to save the…what did they call it?"  Venna snapped his fingers, his grin broadening.  "Oh yes, I remember.  The cowboy hat, chaps and spurs, did you?"

Crais stood up, his lips thinning at Venna's comment.  "I would prefer not to discuss that…incident."  

"You mean, you never told anyone about that?"  Venna watched the look on Crais' face darken.  "Not even Morgan?"

"Sr. Officer Venna, I would appreciate you…dropping the subject," Crais growled warningly, his eyes darkening in fury.

Neither man was aware of Morgan's presence outside of the office as Crais carefully steered the conversation towards Venna's work in the resistance.  She had learned to hide her presence from her husband, a little fact that the Captain was less than pleased with, allowing her to sneak up on him, as she was now.  All thoughts of pulling him away from his desk to partake of a midday meal disappeared when she overheard Venna say hat, chaps, and spurs and Morgan's curiosity was peaked.  She slipped back up the corridor, deciding that a little detective work was in order.

Aeryn slid out from under her Prowler, a look of disgust on her face.  She sat up, propping her arms on her knees as she gazed around the quiet maintenance bay.  She found herself coming here more and more, enjoying the solitude that gave her time to think and put things into perspective, a luxury she was not used to having.  Aeryn hated being idle.  She didn't trust Grayza, none of them did.  So why did Crais allow her to remain?  It couldn't be because the Peacekeeper knew Suleah's location.  Crais would never jeopardize the security of the resistance just for that, his military training still too deeply ingrained in him.  That and the fact that he would have one hezmana of a fight on his hands from Morgan.  The human woman understood only too well what had been built on Zorosa 3 and even though getting her daughter back was her main goal in this point of her life, Morgan accepted the fact that the resistance came first.  She had made that clear to Aeryn during a very long conversation the two women shared shortly after Grayza's arrival.  Which returned Aeryn to her original question.  Something simply didn't add up to the Commandant's presence.

Aeryn looked up as Venna entered the bay, his eyes searching the huge hangar, finally landing on her.  He smiled and approached Aeryn, who simply lay down and slid back under the fighter.  She should've been happy to see Venna, but his appearance with Grayza only lent to her unease even more.  If the truth were told, Aeryn didn't trust Venna at all.  She hadn't trusted him since the day she left him and the growing resistance to travel with Crais and Talyn to find Moya six monens after they destroyed Scorpius' Command Carrier.  Venna had lied to her about Grayza's plans when they first met up, telling her that the only thing the Commandant had been interested in was Scorpius and then finding out what the woman had done to Crichton.  Aeryn couldn't help but wonder which side Venna was on.  He knew all about Grayza and the Scarrens then, he was with Grayza now.  

"Hello Aeryn," Venna greeted, leaning against the fighter and staring down at her leather encased legs.  "It's been quite a few cycles."

"Yes it has," Aeryn answered harshly, her voice muffled.  She returned to her work, jerking the corroded weapons control chip from its slot and tossing it away.  She picked up the laser tool she needed, reworking the slot to accommodate the new chip.  "What are you doing here?" she finally snapped.

Venna knelt down, sitting back on his heels as he watched her work.  "My job," he calmly answered, handing her the second tool she reached for.  "Grayza wished to contact the resistance.  She left beacons all around trying to contact us after the Scarren's reneged on their end of the treaty and began attacking worlds once protected by the Peacekeepers."

Aeryn slid out at his words.  "Yes, and now she knows where we are and what type of manpower we have, leaving us vulnerable to attack," she spat furiously, standing up and tossing her tools back into the box.  

"Attack from who?"  He rose and followed Aeryn as she retrieved a cloth from the strange white ship to their right, a smile on his face that was meant to reassure her.  "In case you didn't notice, the Peacekeeper's are in a shambles and Scorpius does not have the resources to take the resistance out."

Aeryn whirled on him, her face a mask of complete calm, her eyes the only thing giving her anger away.  "I was there, Venna.  I helped take down the Peacekeepers.  And you have no idea what resources Scorpius has amassed," she snarled.  "For all I know, you could be a spy for him as well."

Venna's smile faded and he held up his hands.  "Aeryn, I'm not your enemy and I am not a spy."

She tossed the cloth into her toolbox.  "You might as well be.  I don't trust you or anyone with you, not after you lied to me about her plans for Crichton!"  Aeryn stormed away, her hair swinging angrily behind her, the sound of her footsteps echoing through the building.

Venna stared at her momentarily, trying to overcome the shock of her accusations.  He quickly caught up with her, grasping her arm gently and turning her to face him.  "Hold on a microt.  We are friends Aeryn.  We flew together, fought together…"

Aeryn shook her head, her lips pursed, stopping him before he could go any further.  "I am quite well aware of what we did together, Venna," she hissed.

"Then I think I at least deserve an explanation," he finished quietly.  

Aeryn's face grew red in fury.  "All right.  I'll give you an explanation."  She propped her hands on her hips as she stared at Venna.  "Grayza's tactics are questionable.  I watched as she strong-armed her way on to Scorpius' command carrier as if she owned it.  I learned how she used her 'charms' on Crichton in order to get the wormhole formula after you claimed she wanted nothing from him and she only went after Scorpius to rid herself of another enemy.  She wants the wormhole formula so she can help the Scarrens conquer more worlds and I'm sure she is eager to get it form Crichton."  Aeryn didn't bring up the little fact that, more than likely, the Scarrens still had the formula and all Grayza wanted was Crichton for herself.  Aeryn would kill the Commandant before she ever laid her hands on the human again.  "Grayza will stop at nothing to get what she wants and she is not be trusted."

"She's no worse than Crais," Venna protested, staring at Aeryn.  

Aeryn's mouth dropped open in shock.  She could not believe Venna had uttered those words, not after helping the ex-Peacekeeper Captain and his ship.  "That's where you're wrong.  Crais never killed someone for the sheer joy of it.  Not even the Hynerians that decorated the walls of his quarters.  He followed orders to the letter until he thought Tauvo was killed.  Only then did her veer from the strict code we were all taught, a code Grayza has never once in her entire service to the Peacekeepers followed."

"Oh yes, he followed the code and then he turned around and defected, stealing a gunship that was rightfully Peacekeeper property and lying to everyone to get what he wanted to meet his own frelling agenda," he sneered.

Aeryn lashed out and smacked Venna.  She had come to respect Crais as both a commanding officer and a friend and no one was going to insult him.  "Yes he lied, just like you did Venna.  But Crais has changed."

"Oh really?" he spat.

"Yes.  He's the only reason Scorpius is still alive.  He wouldn't let me kill him after I left you."

"I know about that."

Aeryn's chin went up defiantly, determined to prove to Venna what she was insisting.  "If Crais had allowed me to kill Scorpius, I would be dead too."  She paused.  "And Crais is the only reason the crew of Moya survived their imprisonment on the command carrier."

Venna snorted in disgust.  "I cannot believe you are sticking up for him.  I worked with Crais on Elcaris Minor after you left both of us and he is still as ruthless as he ever was."  He grasped her arms, his eyes filled with fury.  "I don't believe he's changed."

"You haven't been around him.  You don't interact with him on a daily basis."  She tried to break Venna's grasp, but he held onto her tightly.  Aeryn jerked her knee up, slamming it into his groin.  The big man went down with a sharp intake of breath, Aeryn looming over him.  "Grayza is the enemy, Venna.  She wants the wormhole formula as bad as Scorpius and I believe that is only reason she is here."  Aeryn leaned down, getting within denches of his face.  Her voice was lethally quiet.  "Believe what you want about Crais, but it's been his ruthlessness and perseverance that has kept Crichton's formula where it belongs…safe in his head."  She turned on one foot and stormed away, jerking the bay's door open.

"The only reason Crais has changed is because he is weak and has found someone willing to service his needs," Venna hissed sarcastically, wondering why he even bothered coming here to speak to Aeryn. He would never trust Captain Bialar Crais, knew the Sebacean Captain was nothing but a troublemaker.

Aeryn stopped, her hands clenching into fists at his words, her anger boiling.  She slowly returned to him, kicking him square in the chin as soon as she was close enough and tackling him as fell backwards, pinning his head between her knees.  "Get this through your bald, thick, head.  Crais has more integrity in his little finger than you have in your entire body.  He has saved all of us more times than anyone cares to admit.  And he has found two things in his life that makes it all worthwhile.  One of them is the leadership of this resistance, a command worthy of his intelligence and skills."  She tightened her thighs, ensuring that Venna was paying attention.  "The other is a woman who is more than a match for him, a woman I can call a friend, a sister even.  Morgan accepted Crais for what he was and is with no questions asked and no judgments passed, more than any of us has ever done.  Now, Crais will do anything to protect what has been built here.  And no one, not Grayza, not Scorpius, not even the Scarrens, will stand in his way to protect those serving beneath him."  She smiled nastily.  "And if I ever hear you slander anyone who I consider family again, I will kill you."  Aeryn stood up and walked away, never looking back, slamming the door behind her with finality.

Venna sat up slowly, rubbing his chin.  He had seen the look of lethal determination on Aeryn's face before and knew better than to doubt her words.  He would have to be careful with what he said.  Venna knew Aeryn would kill him.

Morgan found Crais in his office well after the evening meal.  She stood, her arms crossed, casually in the doorway, studying his features as he worked on analyzing the information they had gathered on Scorpius, one hand propping his head, his fingers splayed across his forehead, tendrils of dark hair framing his face from where they had slipped from its queue.  A soft smile crossed her face.  "Mother was not very pleased that both you and your brother missed dinner.  I had to listen to her bitch and whine about it."  She moved over to the desk as Crais looked up at her voice, leaning back in the chair.  He looked tired and Morgan squeezed herself between him and the desk, pushing the reports aside and sitting down on it.  "It was all I could do not to laugh at the faces Father was making."

Crais tried very hard not to smile, but the impish grin on his wife's face was contagious.  "I can only imagine," he commented, cupping his chin between his forefinger and thumb as he leaned his elbow on the arm of his chair.

Morgan shook her head.  "Oh, no you can't," she chuckled, swinging her legs back and forth.  "He had Allan laughing so hard that the poor kid couldn't eat.  And to make matters worse, Mother got pissed and left the table, mumbling something about disrespectful sons and husbands."

Crais sighed, shaking his head as he wrapped his arms around Morgan's waist, leaning his head on her lap.  He felt guilty for not spending more time with all of them, but Tadace had left him little recourse when he made Crais promise to lead the resistance.  "My Father has a way with her.  They'll be reconciled before the day is over."

"Crais, the day is almost over. They were still bickering when I left," Morgan remarked, reaching out and unbinding his hair, thankful for the few minutes of private time.  She ran her fingers through his thick locks, massaging his scalp as she went, feeling the tension that had been radiating from him ease.  "Feel good?" she asked softly, leaning down to kiss his head.

"Mmm."  He looked up at her, his dark eyes filled with love.  "My head is throbbing.  This whole spy problem has not been…easy to deal with."  Crais closed his eyes as Morgan moved her hands forward to his temples, the circular motion of her fingers easing the ache.  "D'Argo and the others turned in their final report."

"And?"  Morgan continued her massage, waiting for his answer.

Crais opened his eyes with a sigh, his forehead wrinkling slightly.  "It matched the information Grayza gave us."

"Dren," she hissed, shaking her head.  "I had really hoped…"

"I know.  So did I," he interrupted, leaning back away from her.  He reached into the pocket of his trousers, withdrawing the holo-chip.  "Which reminds me, Grayza also gave me this."  

Morgan reached out, taking the small chip, which was no bigger than a dime, in her hand, inspecting it, her eyebrows crinkling in apprehension.  "What is it?"

Crais took the chip from her, taking her right hand in his and laying the small device in her palm.  The image immediately sprang to life and Morgan's eyes widened, tears filling them as she covered her mouth with her other hand.  "She looks like you," Crais whispered softly, their eyes meeting over the little three dimensional image of their daughter.  He watched the emotions play over her face.  "Beautiful, sweet, loving…"

"Not by the time Scorpius is done with her," a haughty voice behind them remarked. 

Crais stood up, Morgan turning at the voice, her hand closing, the image of Suleah disappearing as she pocketed the precious chip.  Bian stood in the doorway, a pulse pistol aimed at them, her eyes filled with hatred.  "How long did you think you could…get away with this, Bian?" he asked, taking a step towards the edge of the desk.

"Stand fast, Captain.  I won't hesitate to shoot," Bian commanded coolly, the pulse pistol following Crais.  "You have no idea how hard it was for me to refrain from killing the two of you when you crashed here."  She moved closer, every bit the trained Peacekeeper, cool, collected, in control.  "Toss me your weapon, Crais."

Crais' eyes met Morgan's.  She had slid one hip off the desk, her own pulse pistol hidden from view.  Crais slid his weapon across the floor towards Bian, the woman kicking it aside.  "Why didn't you?"

Bian's finger tightened slightly on the trigger.  "Toss me the transponder too.  I don't trust you."  She caught the transponder, laying it in the chair behind her, a demented smile on her face.  Her hair, usually left loose, was slicked back in Peacekeeper regulation style, the uniform she was wearing that of a Commander.  "Why didn't I?"  Because I didn't have enough information collected.  That imbecile husband of mine wouldn't confide in me so I had to work that much harder."  She stepped closer.  "When you planned the infiltration of the Gammak base, I was the one who leaked your plans to Raseen."

"How?  You weren't there?" Morgan casually observed.

Bian snorted.  "You really are dense.  It was easy to place a tracking device on Shantar."  She paused, her eyes locking with Crais'.  "As well as the gunship."

Crais' eyes narrowed.  "There is no tracking device on my ship," he snarled, his hands clenching at the thought of someone meddling with Talyn.  He suspected Bian was lying for Talyn would've surely noticed and alerted the Captain or Morgan immediately.  He would scour the gunship at the first available opportunity to make sure, not wanting to leave anything to chance.

Bian smiled.  "Are you sure of that?  How do you think Scorpius found you when you came back through the wormhole?"  Morgan had slid her pulse pistol free, carefully laying it in the seat of the chair close to Crais as Bian continued.  "And the night Braca kidnapped Suleah?  Did you ever stop to think about how he knew which dwelling she was in?"  Bian shook her head, a look of evil amusement hardening her features.  "I must say Crais, I'm very disappointed in you."

Crais' chin went up in defiance.  "The feeling is mutual."

Bian shrugged.  "At least I know where my loyalties lay."  She depressed the pulse pistol's trigger, abruptly changing her target to Morgan.

Crais dove towards his wife, tackling and dragging her to the floor as the first bolt barely missed her head, shattering against the wood paneling above his desk.  The second shot clipped his upper arm, burning through the thin fabric of his uniform shirt and searing flesh.  He gritted his teeth against the pain, grabbing Morgan's pulse pistol from the chair and firing aimlessly over his desk.

"Give it up Crais!"  Bian called sinisterly, her footsteps getting closer.  "You should have never gotten this far.  Every last one of you should've been dead if it hadn't been for Raseen wanting to get you back in her bed."

"Nice," Morgan hissed at Bian's remark as she crawled out from under Crais, sitting with her back against the opposite end of the desk and peering around the corner, trying to gauge the distance between herself and Crais' pulse pistol.  She shook her head at his questioning glance, telling him it was too far. _~ Talyn, I need you to get Crichton here on the double. ~_

_~ Morgan?  Are you all right? ~_

_~ Just do it, Talyn! ~_

"Stall her," Crais responded, holding his arm, his face pale as he rolled onto his back and sat up.

Morgan looked at him as if he had lost his mind.  "Just how the frell would you like me to do that?" she whispered.

Bian stalked them, tormenting them with her slow, measured footfalls.  "You know, I should've let Torsin have Morgan, but the timing was all wrong.  You frelled up all my plans, Crais, you and your alien wife."  She stopped at the end of the desk, gazing down at the wounded Captain.  Blood seeped from between his fingers where he held his hand over the injury.  "Captain Bialar Crais, you have been deemed irreversibly contaminated, a sentence punishable by death, for which I am authorized to carry out."  Bian aimed the pulse pistol at Crais' head.  "At least you will die knowing that your children will be welcomed into the Peacekeeper's."

"No they won't."  Grayza fired once, the shocked look on Bian's face frozen there for all time as she fell forwards dead.  Grayza poked the body with the toe of her boot, a look of disdain on her face as she holstered her weapon, watching as Morgan and Crais stood up.  She gazed at Crais expectantly.  "Well, there's one less problem for you to deal with," Grayza commented coldly.  "She wasn't much of a spy anyway.  I suppose she's the best Scorpius could get."  She shrugged non-chalantly, uncrossing her arms and reaching out to touch the wound on Crais' arm.  

Morgan interjected herself between them, having seen Grayza's thumb stroke the flesh between her barely covered breasts.  Crichton had explained to her exactly how the Commandant's heppel gland worked.  "Thank you," Morgan hissed through clenched teeth, staring the Commandant down, silently daring the Peacekeeper to try to get Crais again.

Grayza shrugged, the woman's eyes narrowing in contempt as she stared at Morgan as D'Argo and Chiana entered the office.  The woman had managed to lose them and she sighed in annoyance at their appearance.  "You should have that looked at, Crais," Grayza remarked dryly.  She turned to D'Argo, motioning to Bian's body.  "Get rid of that," she commanded imperiously, sweeping out the door.

"Chiana, go with her please," Morgan asked, ripping the sleeve of Crais' shirt free and using it to bandage the wound, trying to stem the flow of blood.

"Sure thing," Chiana squeaked, jogging from the room after Grayza.

D'Argo looked at Crais.  "Are you all right?"

Crais nodded.  "Yes.  Nothing that won't…" he paused, gritting his teeth, "…heal on its own."

Footsteps alerted them to others approaching.  Crichton was the first one in the office, responding immediately to Talyn's signal.  "What's the…" His eyes saw the body.  "So much for a trial."

"Your gift for…understating the obvious is…remarkable," Crais remarked through clenched teeth.

"Well, it is definitely a moot point," D'Argo added.  "Give me a hand."

Crichton nodded, taking Bian's prone form under the arms.  He looked at Morgan and Crais.  "I take it Shantar doesn't know about this."

Tauvo had followed the human, Gaia alerting him to Talyn's distress, and he stood in the doorway, his dark eyes meeting his brothers.  "I'll tell him."

Crais nodded his thanks, staggering slightly.  He leaned back on the desk, pushing the wave of dizziness aside.  "It would be better coming from you."

Tauvo nodded, watching as Morgan helped Crais to his feet, supporting his weight as they moved to the door.  "Do you need help getting him to the infirmary, Morgan?" he offered.

Morgan paused, glancing at him.  For once, her face didn't hold the animosity towards him that it usually had.  "No.  I got him.  You'll have your hands full with Shantar."

Tauvo followed Crichton and D'Argo, picking up Crais' transponder as he secured the office.  Terrick waited for him outside, his eyes darting across the courtyard wary of danger.  Tauvo gave his nephew the transponder, his eyes following Morgan and Crais.  "Give this to Morgan."  Tauvo fell momentarily silent.  "Huh," he murmured softly.

"What?" 

Tauvo shrugged, turning to look at the teen.  "That's the first civil thing Morgan's said to me in a monen."

Morgan's curiosity always seemed to get the better of her and this time was no different.  Bian was dead, the threat of the spy, for now, eliminated and Grayza was under constant surveillance, the message to Scorpius happily speeding through the space lanes towards the scientist.  They had a little down time and Morgan was determined to get the most out of it.  She had returned to the gunship and had managed to make Talyn tell her everything about the incident on Elcaris Minor, right down to the woman of ill repute Crais had dallied with and the dream he had about Crichton dressed up as a cowboy.  She snickered to herself at the thought of her cousin dressed like Woody from "Toy Story" as well as the comments the men in the saloon tossed at him.  "And here I thought Crais had no imagination," she mumbled, placing the black Stetson on her head and carefully unpacking the clothing from the storage container.

The plaid shirt was red and white and she held it up, her mind running through possible scenarios.  She laid it aside, retrieving the tight denim blue jeans, her lips pursing.  "Oh yeah," she whispered, nodding, a devious smile crossing her face.  

          _~ Morgan, he's on his way.  Are you sure Crais is not going to be mad at me over telling you where that box was? ~_ Talyn asked cautiously.  

          Morgan folded the jeans back up, swearing to herself that she would see her stubborn, arrogant husband in them one day.  "I'll take care of the Captain, Talyn."

          _~ That's what I'm afraid of ~_ the gunship quipped nervously, turning his attention to capturing Crais' Prowler in the docking web.

          Morgan picked up the leather chaps, giggling to herself as she dug to the bottom of the container and grabbed the spurs.  She packed the jeans and shirt back into the container, set it on top the waiting DRD and watched as it rolled out of the room.  Quickly she positioned herself at the foot of the bed, using the neural link to track Crais' progress to their quarters.

          Crais walked slowly through the gunship's corridors, thankful that the spy ordeal was over.  It disturbed him that Bian had betrayed them, leading him to wonder just how faithful to the resistance Shantar was, even though the older man was horrified at the news.  Crais had left Terrick and Tauvo with the security chief, confining Grayza in her quarters so that he could get some time alone with Morgan, Crichton and Aeryn joining them on Talyn for some quiet time of their own, leaving Leris 'holding down the fort' as the human put it.  It was actually reassuring to have them on board and he smiled slightly.

Crais walked into their quarters and stopped dead in his tracks.  Morgan stood at the end of the bed, a cowboy hat that was too big for her perched on her head, a pair of silver spurs in her right hand, a set of brown leather chaps in the left.  Crais' cowboy hat.  Crais' spurs.  Crais' chaps.  The Captain had the distinct feeling he was in trouble.  "Morgan," he simply commented, walking slowly over to his desk and carefully shrugging off his uniform jacket, his arm still sore from Bian's pulse pistol blast.

          "Hi Crais," she purred, smiling as she set the chaps that were hanging from one finger swinging into motion.  "Did you…uh…forget to tell me something or have you been doing a 'Full Monty' on me on the side?" she asked, the twinkle in her eye making the ex-Peacekeeper suddenly very uncomfortable.

          Crais gazed at her, making a mental note to himself to have another long conversation with Talyn.  He had no idea what she meant by a 'Full Monty' and was almost scared to ask.  "I don't think so," he answered, tilting his head as he approached her cautiously.

          Morgan nodded.  "Mmm.  Not according to Talyn."  She slowly walked around Crais, devious and wicked thoughts suddenly filling her mind.  "It seems you had a run in with our friend Venna before.  On this little, out of the way planet called Elcaris Minor."  She stopped in front of him, reaching out to pop the top button on his uniform shirt with her teeth.  "Jog your memory yet?"

          Crais now knew he was in trouble.  "What…are you…doing with those?" he asked as she started moving around him again.  He had hoped she would never find out about those two days spent on Elcaris.  The planet had been inhabited by a group of Sebacean settlers trying to get out from under the Peacekeeper regime.  They had somehow managed to pick up radio signals from a distant planet, which Crais now knew was Earth, and built their civilization around what they saw: an old wild, wild west town, complete with a sheriff, saloon, and gallows.  "How…did you find out about…this?" he growled, glancing up at Talyn's ceiling.

          Morgan opened another button on his shirt with her teeth, making sure she nipped Crais' chest while she was at it.  She had to admit she was enjoying herself immensely.  "I overheard you and Venna speaking and I must say that the words 'chaps', 'spurs' and 'cowboy hat' in conjunction with your name seriously peaked my curiosity."

          "So then…" Crais paused, closing his eyes and reigning in his control.  Morgan had a way of making him forget everything.  "So then…did you learn…from Talyn…what happened there?"

          Morgan stepped away, a smug smirk on her face.  "Oh yeah.  I learned what happened, right down to the odd dream you had."  She laughed, sitting on the bed.  "I must say, my cousin as Woody from "Toy Story" is definitely original."  She tucked her legs up on the bed.  "I want to see you in these," Morgan finished huskily, her blue eyes darkening.

          Crais actually choked at her words.  "I…don't think…that is such a good idea."

          Morgan's eyebrows went up and she stood.  "I…want…to…see…you…in…these," she repeated, emphasizing each word.

          Crais swallowed and took a step back.  He had never seen Morgan like this and it concerned and excited him all at the same time.  "No you don't, Morgan."

          She grabbed his shirt, pulling him towards her, leaning up to kiss him, her mouth hot and greedy.  "Oh, yes I do," she whispered against his lips, trailing her own down his neck.

          "Did you…keep…the other…clothing from the container?" he asked, grasping the nape of her neck and removing her transponder.  Crais had a feeling that this would be one of those nights Talyn did not need to witness.

          "What do you want them for?" she asked, tugging his shirt from his leathers and opening it.

          Crais gazed down at her, reaching back to his own transponder and placing it with hers on the desk.  With a slight smile, he took the chaps from Morgan.

          Crichton was quietly slipping past his cousin's quarters on the way to the galley when he heard a loud smack from the other side of the door, followed by Morgan's squeal of laughter.  He leaned towards the door, listening.

          "Ride 'em cowboy!"

          Crichton backed away from the door at his cousin's muffled exclamation, his hand over his mouth as he tried not to laugh.  Whatever was going on in there, Morgan was enjoying herself and Crichton vowed to himself to find out what prompted her to yell those words.  He continued up the corridor, glancing over his shoulder every so often, suddenly filled with the longing to watch a John Wayne movie and softly singing to himself.  "Rollin', rollin', rollin', keep them doggies rollin', rollin', rollin', rollin', rawhide."

Scorpius stared at the test reports in his hand, smiling slightly.  Things were going as planned and he was getting closer to rebuilding what Crais and Crichton had destroyed.  It had taken cycles of careful planning and evading Crais' pathetic little resistance to get this far, but Scorpius had almost attained his goal.  All he needed now was proof that his meddling in the resistance cracked it enough to make it crumble and out of his way, as well as the wormhole formula and another ship.  A command carrier would do or even a hybrid gunship, something to carry him and his technology deeper into the Uncharted Territories to begin his slow conquest of the universe.  His eyes drifted to the corner of the room where Suleah played silently, the biggest safety net in his possession, the key to securing the formula, and he tapped his knuckle against his chin as he studied her, knowing that any threat to the child would bring both Morgan and her cousin running to save her.  Not that Scorpius intended to do the little girl harm.  He had plans for her.

Suleah was incredibly bright, far surpassing her peers in her studies.  Even at her young age she spoke very clearly when she had something to say and understood even more, her eyes taking in everything and missing nothing.  Even now, Scorpius could see the great potential in his small protégé.  He watched as she walked over to the window overlooking the wormhole lab.  Suleah pulled herself up onto the ledge and stood up, her little hands pressed against the glass, her blue eyes wide as she watched the technicians work below her.  A flash of blue light reflected off of her face and she smiled.  "Pretty."

Scorpius' eyes narrowed slightly and he stood up, walking over to her, his head canted as he reached out and stroked her soft hair.  "What is pretty, Suleah?" he asked encouragingly, his voice soft and warm.

The little girl looked up at him, holding her arms out, her hands opening and closing until the half-Scarren scientist picked her up.  The wormhole flashed into existence within the containment field, disappearing just as quickly.  "Pretty," Suleah insisted, her mouth pursing stubbornly as she pointed to the lab.  "Pretty wormhole."

Scorpius smiled proudly, placing a soft kiss on her forehead, leaning his cheek against her head as he held her.  "Yes, it is a pretty wormhole.  Too bad your mother and father don't agree," he remarked softly.

Suleah wiggled in his arms until he looked at her, her face crinkled in confusion.  "Mother?"

Scorpius gazed down at her.  "Yes, your…" he paused, trying to remember what Morgan had called her own mother in the memories he had extracted from her while she was a guest in his chair.  "Your…Mommy."  He carried her over to the desk, bringing up an image of Morgan and Crais he had saved specifically for this purpose.  He didn't want the child to hate her parents.  On the contrary, he wanted Suleah to respect them, knowing that it would be only a matter of time before she inquired after them, but he wanted her loyalty to be unerringly his, a little fact he was already succeeding in.  "That is your parents, Suleah."

Suleah studied the image, tilting her little head as she reached out to touch her mother's face, her hand passing through the hologram.  "Mommy pretty."

Before Scorpius could respond, Duerell barged in, her white face flushed in anger.  "We have a problem," she started without preamble.  She slid the communications chip into the slot, waiting for it to unscramble, the scientist beside her growing angry as Crais appeared, Morgan standing behind him.

_"Scorpius, I will make this…brief.  Your plan to…break apart the resistance has failed and your spy is dead.  We are currently in the process of tracking down any other…informants within the resistance.  Be forewarned.  We are recommencing the search for our daughter.  Your ploy to make us believe she is dead failed."_

Duerell watched the anger rise in him, noticing how he restrained his fury around the child, who had laid her head on his shoulder.  "The message is only five arns old," she commented.  "What do you suggest?"

Scorpius never took his eyes from the image of Crais and Morgan still frozen before them, the look of pure hatred on both of their faces not going unnoticed.  "Put the base on alert," he simply stated, running his hand up and down Suleah's back, finding some small amount of comfort in that simple gesture, his arms tightening protectively around her little body.

"Daddy pretty.  Mommy pretty," Suleah murmured sleepily, nestling closer to him.

"Yes, very pretty," he snarled, his voice deepening, the only outward sign of his anger.  His eyes narrowed.  "And soon to be very dead."


	7. Chapter Six

Chapter Six

Tauvo was bone tired.  His head pounded between Morgan's constant nagging at him to 'do this, try that' with his training and Shantar's constant whining about Bian.  It had been a weeken since Grayza killed her and even though he could appreciate his friend's grief, enough was enough.  They still had a job to do and the Commandant's presence only compounded matters.  Tauvo was sick and tired of being on his guard.  Sick and tired of being tired.  He walked into his quarters on Zorosa 3 and triggered the lights, gazing around with a disgusted sigh.  His quarters where more opulent than most, having been designed for the base commander and decorated with simple abstract paintings that he had collected over the cycles, paintings that usually brought him peace.  He sank in a chair, leaning his head back as he sank in the soft cushions.  Tauvo's stomach growled and he debated whether or not he would join his parent's for the evening meal.  He couldn't handle his parents right now.  The Commander stood up and made his way into the small kitchen area, reaching into the refrigeration unit and pulling out a bottle of Fellip nectar, popping the seal on it and taking a deep draught as he eased his way up the corridor to his bedroom, freezing at the sight before him as he triggered the lights.

"I must say that news of your…resurrection was not surprising.  I should have known at least one of the Crais brothers was involved in the resistance," Grayza purred.  She lounged on Tauvo's huge bed, wearing nothing but the brown silk sheet, the shiny material covering only her most intimate parts, and a beguiling smile that could only mean trouble.    She sat up on her knees, the sheet slithering back to the bed as she reached out for Tauvo with one hand, canting her head to gaze at him, her eyes half-lidded with passion.  "You look positively drained."

"What are you doing in my quarters?" he asked quietly, removing the transponder, laying it on the chest of drawers to his right, knowing that Gaia would report anything and everything to Talyn.  And Talyn to Crais.  That was the biggest problem Tauvo was having with the young, female Leviathan, although he didn't know if it was from her enthusiasm to help or Morgan's orders.  He knew he should just turn and leave, tell his brother that Grayza was in his quarters, but something stopped him.  Tauvo wondered if he could get any information out of her, knowing that even the smallest bit of data could clue the command staff in on her plans.  He would have to be careful, knowing full well how potent the secretions from her heppel gland were.  

Grayza actually looked wounded that he didn't come to her immediately, and she crawled across the bed, the muscles in her body rippling seductively, reminding Tauvo of a cat-like creature he had seen once as a child.  "I just wanted to talk.  I know you were Tadace's right hand man, the leader of the resistance until your brother came along."  She placed one foot on the floor, the sight of her shapely calf causing Tauvo's mouth to suddenly go dry and his groin to painfully tighten.  "Doesn't that bother you?"

"Why should it?" Tauvo asked, moving away from her towards the bath.  He wondered how long it had been since he had recreated, the memory of his last encounter fleeting.  He pulled his shirt over his head and loosened the clasp and zipper on his trousers, trying very hard to relieve the ache that was growing.    "Tadace and I had always agreed that Bialar would lead the resistance if anything happened to him.  And, for your information, we run it together," Tauvo snapped irritably as he turned on the water and picked up his razor.  Any other time, he'd use the mechanical one issued to him as a Peacekeeper, but right now it felt good to hold the straight razor in his hand.  It cut much closer and he at least he had a weapon handy in case things suddenly got out of hand.

          Grayza leaned in the doorway, her arms above her head, not even the slightest bit embarrassed by the fact that she was naked.  "You do?  Doesn't seem that way to me."  She let one hand slide down the doorframe, shifting her weight to one foot, her lithe form moving slowly.  "As a matter of fact, it seems to me that Crais' little wife runs things with him and you've been relegated to a…lesser position."  Grayza didn't hide the venom in her voice as she watched him shave, her eyes taking him in, running hungrily over the tan and muscled chest and back of the younger Crais.  She licked her lips. 

          Tauvo glanced sideways at her.  "Well, you're wrong.  Morgan is a very intelligent woman and she works well with Bialar and I," he responded sharply.  Things between Tauvo and Morgan might be rough, but he was not about to allow Grayza to say anything against his human sister-in-law.

          Grayza smiled.  "You don't like her, do you?"  She canted her head, running one finger down his arm.  "I heard how she tried to…kill you when you returned from chasing Scorpius.  And how she convinced your brother in keeping his suspicions about the spy a secret while they tried to determine who it was."  The Commandant wasn't ignorant.  She listened to every conversation she could catch, picking up every detail she could, knowing that she could turn it all to her advantage to get what she wanted.  Right now what she wanted was Zorosa 3 and the resources of the resistance.  Grayza knew Bian never revealed the location of the planet to Scorpius.  She had instructed the Sebacean spy not to.  It was all a part of the bigger picture.  Grayza couldn't get to Crais because of Morgan.  But she could get to him through Tauvo.  There was already bad feelings between him and Morgan, just enough to use to drive a wedge even further in.  She mentally thanked Scorpius for making her job easier.  She sidled up to Tauvo, crowding him in the small bath, one hand drifting to the valley between her breasts.  "Did you know she actually thought you were the spy?" she asked softly, the lie rolling off her tongue easily.

          Tauvo wiped his face and turned, gazing down at the small woman.  Her breasts brushed his stomach.  "Morgan would never think that," he responded, his voice cracking as he tossed the towel on the rack behind him before trying to push his way past Grayza.

          She blocked the doorway, running her hands up his chest, smiling as a small moan escaped Tauvo's lips.  "You don't know what she might think.  You don't know what Scorpius might've really done to twist her mind," she continued, dropping her voice so that it was sultry, seductive.  She could see that the web she was weaving was already beginning to affect Tauvo.  He worked his throat, trying to swallow past the dryness in it, the hand gripping the counter turning white with exertion.  Grayza slid her hand up and cupped his cheek in her hand, the ex-Peacekeeper frozen in place by her body rubbing against him.  "We could change all that," she whispered, leaning up to kiss him, her lips tormenting him, drawing him deeper into the web and ensnaring him.

          Tauvo roughly grabbed Grayza, lifting her, pinning her between him and the wall as he returned the kiss, his hands drifting over her body of their own volition.  He leaned back and looked at her, their eyes meeting.  His head was swimming, and he knew there was something he should have been doing, but couldn't place a finger on what it was.  His eyes grew heavy, his groin tightening even more.  "How?" he asked huskily.

          Grayza wrapped her arms around his neck, smiling.

Crais walked into his office a few days later, intently studying the report on the data pad in his hands.  He looked up and stopped, canting his head as he gazed at his younger brother sitting at his desk, Tauvo's booted feet propped up on it as if he owned the place, his head back on his clasped hands as he gazed at the ceiling.  Crais raised one questioning eyebrow.  "What are you doing here?  I thought you would be aboard Gaia by now?" he asked, laying the data pad aside, studying Tauvo.  His eyes looked glazed as if with fever, his cheeks flushed.  Crais leaned one hand on his desk, waiting.  

Tauvo casually shrugged, maintaining his seat at Crais' desk.  "Oh, well, I just didn't feel like training today," he commented, a smile on his face.  His eyes widened as he dropped his feet and sat up.  "As a matter of fact, how about you and I going for a spin?  You know, like old times.  Take a couple of Prowlers and shoot some asteroids?"  he suggested with excitement.

Crais slowly approached his brother, suspicious of the way the younger man was acting.  Tauvo never shirked his responsibility.  In all their years of training together, Crais had managed to get that much ingrained in his sibling's head, even though he himself had committed that particular sin on numerous occasions.  "Tauvo, I want you on Gaia in less than an arn and working, is that clear or do I have to make it a direct order?  We are attacking Scorpius' base in less than two weekens and you must be comfortable enough with Gaia before then."  He waited, watching Tauvo's face change, his eyes storming up for a brief moment.  The reaction puzzled Crais.

Tauvo sighed, a petulant look on his face as he stood up.  "Oh, all right."  He pouted as he stood up.  "Meany."  He started towards the door suddenly whistling a jaunty tune as Morgan walked in, his attitude changing as quickly as the direction of the wind.  He wrapped one arm around her waist, swinging her around in time to the tune he was whistling and smiled, letting her go as he walked out.

Morgan stared at the doorway totally confused, her mouth hanging open as she ran her fingers through her hair.  "Who the hell was that and what did he do with your brother?" she finally asked, jerking her thumb over her shoulder as she approached Crais' desk.  She saw that he still stared at the doorway, his dark eyes narrowed in a way that only meant trouble.  "Hey, you in there?" she asked, waving her hand in front of his eyes, her guard up.  Crais was tense, looking like a panther ready to strike.

"Of course I'm in here.  Where else would I be?" he snapped, turning his attention to the pile of files on his desk.

Morgan leaned a hip on his desk, her eyes going around the room.  She leaned forward as if looking under the desk, shaking her head as she sat back up.  

"What is wrong?" Crais finally asked in exasperation, leaning towards her.  

"Well, I know you didn't just use that tone of voice with me and I'm trying to figure out who else was in the room with us.  I thought maybe John was hiding under the desk," she answered sarcastically.  "Am I the only person not having a bad day?"

Crais sighed, the stress of the last weeken with Grayza present beginning to take its toll on him.  He moved around the front of the desk, enfolding Morgan in his arms.  "I am sorry."  He kissed the top of her head.  "I don't know what's the matter with Tauvo."  He looked down at his wife.  "What have you observed?"

Morgan shrugged.  "Other than being deliriously happy, nothing out of the ordinary.  He's been trying to please me with everything on Gaia, and he's made a good deal of progress.  I think by the time we launch, he'll be good to go."

Crais nodded.  "Keep Terrick with you if you can.  Something doesn't…seem quite right," he admitted to her.  

"What do you mean?"  She looked up at Crais, noticing for the first time the dark circles under his eyes.  They turned as Crichton walked in, and Crais tightened his arms around Morgan.

"I've got spurs…that jingle, jangle, jingle!" the human Commander sang as he entered, a huge, infuriating smile on his face.  He fairly bounced into the room.

Crais' face darkened, partly in embarrassment that Crichton knew and partly because of the wild lovemaking he and Morgan had shared that night a weeken ago.  It didn't surprise him that she suddenly found the reports next to her on the desk fascinating.  "You…told him?" he hissed through clenched teeth, Crichton still caterwauling behind them.

Morgan shrugged, an impish grin appearing on her face.  "I couldn't help myself.  He caught up with me a few days ago and asked me about the…" she leaned forward and whispered in Crais' ear.

"Hey, no secrets over there!" Crichton quipped as Aeryn walked in, staring at her lover strangely as he fell over the back of the nearest chair in a fit of giggles.

"He heard that?" Crais croaked softly, his face heating up even more.

Morgan nodded, not in the least embarrassed.  "Besides, you looked so damn cute in those chaps!"  She slid off of Crais' desk and reached out as she sauntered past, grabbing his behind as she moved away, winking at him.

Crais stood frozen at the desk, his head down as he shook it, knowing full well that Crichton and Aeryn witnessed the whole exchange.  He leaned his hands on the edge, gazing upwards, trying very hard not to blow his cool.  "I think…I preferred her…when she was still under Scorpius' influence," he mumbled to no one in particular.  Crais stood up and walked around the desk, sinking in his chair and pinching the bridge of nose in annoyance as Crichton gazed at him from his upside down position in the chair, a smug look on his face, his feet and arms crossed.  "What?" he finally asked, glancing at the human.

Crichton shrugged.  "Nothing."  He stopped, worrying his lower lip with his teeth.  "Oh, come on Crais, she makes your life interesting!  Just admit it!"  he finally burst, thrusting his arms out, enjoying the uneasy look on the Captain's face.

"Crichton, I am not exactly…in the mood for your inane jokes and observations.  We have business to attend to," Crais snapped.

Crichton sat up, turning himself around as Aeryn took the chair next to him.  "Fire away, cowboy."

Crais sighed, ignoring the deliberate jibe from Crichton.  "There is an asteroid field not far from Scorpius' base that should provide adequate cover for our ships.  I would like Officer Sun and Sr. Officer Venna to take a patrol squadron out and inspect it.  Your Prowlers should not be detected by Scorpius' equipment.  There is a large amount of small debris that hampers the sensors due to its composition."

Crichton looked at Aeryn, pointing to her.  "In other words, no one will be able to see us varmints," he drawled.

Crais glowered at Crichton, a feral snarl curling his lip.  "Crichton," he warned.

"Am I gathering information on Scorpius' precautionary measures?" Aeryn asked, nudging Crichton.

"Yes.  I want to make sure we are not going into a trap."

Crichton chewed the pad of his thumb, his blue eyes darkening.  "Are you absolutely sure there is no tracking device on Talyn?  Nothing that is going to alert scarface that we're on the way when we get ready to attack?"

Crais gazed at Crichton.  "Yes.  If anything or anyone alerts Scorpius that we are coming, it will have to be from Grayza's people."

Aeryn tossed a worried glance in Crichton's direction.  "I wouldn't trust her not to, Crais and neither do you."  She still wasn't sure about where Venna's loyalties lie, even though he kept insisting he was with the resistance.

Crais began to pace.  "I don't trust her.  Which is why I am leaving Ka D'Argo, Shantar and Braca in charge here when we leave."  He tilted his head, turning dark eyes on Crichton and Aeryn.  "Shantar is the only one we will have to worry about falling under the Commandant's influence."

Crichton stood up, stretching, pacing the room, placing one foot in each of the squares of the floor as he went.  "And Shantar won't go anywhere near here.  He's still pissed over the events with Bian."

Crais nodded.  "Then we are in agreement."

Aeryn and Crichton nodded, Aeryn slipping past Crichton to find Venna and start her mission.

Crichton looked at Crais, a grin spreading on his face.  "So, hombre, what now?"

Crais bit his tongue at Crichton's teasing, suppressing his temper.  "We'll go to Talyn and finish our plans.  It's the only secure place I know of."  He marched from the office, not even caring whether or not Crichton followed and wishing he could throttle his wife. 

Crais and Crichton had worked well into the night on finalizing the attack plans.  There was no way Scorpius would be able to rebuild his research by the time they were done and Suleah would be back in her parent's arms.  Assuming they could sneak onto the base without the scientist's knowledge.  That was the problem.  At the sound of very loud footsteps, both of them looked up from the map spread out before them on the galley's table, the huge plastic sheet Talyn had produced for them held down with coffee cups at the corners.   Morgan stormed into the room, her face dark, her whole body radiating and shaking in fury, her blue eyes dark and fiery.  Crais and Crichton glanced at each other, the human shaking his head slightly.

"You know, I used to think that you and Father were the only two pig-headed, stubborn, arrogant e'emaholes in this family, but after toady, I have changed my assessment of every man with the last name of Crais over the age of two!" she spat, holding up the first two fingers on her right hand, her left propped on her hip.  Morgan threw her hands in the air and began to pace the small galley like a caged tiger, stopping long enough to pour herself a cup of coffee.

"Bad day at the office?" Crichton quipped casually, setting the data pad he had been holding aside.

Morgan stopped, glaring at them, her eyes narrowing.  She slammed the mug on the table, its contents sloshing over the sides onto the map.  Her cousin was lucky he wasn't wearing it.  Crais sighed, but bit his tongue.  "Include those name Crichton too," she snarled, turning on one heel and marching out of the galley.

Crais started to follow, but Crichton's gentle hand on his arm staid the ex-Peacekeeper.  "She's headed for the maintenance bay on tier four.  That's where we exercise," Crais remarked, opening his eyes.

"Let her go.  She's jacked about something," Crichton responded, grabbing a cloth from the counter behind him and soaking up the mess.  "Tauvo must have really done something bad to rile her up this much."

Crais leaned one hand on the table, pointing at Crichton.  "Your powers of observation are truly staggering, Crichton.  Exactly how…do you do that?" he remarked sarcastically, turning back to map with a disgusted sigh.  He reached into the pocket of his pants and removed that thong that held his hair back, quickly binding the dark locks away from his face.

Crichton looked out the door, gazing down the empty corridor.  "Lay off, Crais.  She has not been exactly thrilled over helping Tauvo and being so far out of the loop."  Crichton moved to the other side of the table, tapping the keys on his data pad, analyzing another possible entrance point to Scorpius' base.

Crais grasped the table tightly, his knuckles turning white.  "That is putting it…mildly," he answered, his dark eyes meeting Crichton's.  "You…do not have to…listen to her complain about my brother at night."

Crichton chuckled, enjoying the Captain's frustration.  "You married her," he simply pointed out.  The truth of the matter was that Crichton had listened to her.  He had managed to steal a little time with his cousin, the two of them hiking to the top of the mountain that overlooked the community, the same mountain they had hidden Talyn in cycles before, sitting on a cliff ledge and talking until the sun set, something they had rarely done since she had arrived in the Uncharted Territories.  It still amazed him that she could easily bare her heart and soul to him now that she was married and had someone to whine to.  But then, he and Morgan had always been close.  She was beyond frustrated with the situation concerning Suleah, more than any of the others truly knew.  Crichton had held her close while she cried, complaining about Tauvo and his stubbornness, about Crais and his stubbornness, about the fact that she hardly had any time with Allan.  And that she hardly seemed to have any time just to sit and enjoy Crichton's own company.

Crais rolled his eyes upward, biting back the retort that sat on this tip of his tongue.  Morgan had confided in him what was said between her and Crichton that day and he wanted nothing more than to bring Scorpius to justice.  But high tempers and arguments were not going to help.  Crais needed to bind his family together, not let it be pushed further apart.  Especially since most of the Resistance's command staff was made up of family.  If they were going to succeed in their plans to restore a decent military force that cared for those they protected, it had to start here first.   Crais counted to ten and sighed, returning his gaze to the map before him.  "At least she has returned to her normal self," he commented, glancing at the human.

Crichton looked at Crais incredulously.  "Crais, she's worse now!" he whined.  He sank down into one of the chairs, propping his feet on the one next to him, the data pad supported by his legs as he leisurely crunched more numbers.  "What's she doing anyway?" he asked quietly.

Crais absently reached one hand back to the transponder, closing his eyes as he sped through the gunship's corridors to the maintenance bay.  An affectionate smile crossed his dark features and he looked at Crichton.  "She is taking her frustrations out on the…exercise board…cursing my brother to Earth and back."

Crichton smiled, the two men sharing the joke.  "Ouch."  He ran his fingers though his hair, sitting up and finishing his cup of coffee.  "It's a good thing Tauvo isn't here."

Crais actually chuckled.  "I concur.  I fear the damage to his person would be…substantial."

The human looked at him, still not used to hearing the usually quiet ex-Peacekeeper chuckle.  He stood up, setting his mug in the refresher unit and heading out of the galley.  "I'm gonna go talk to her, see if I can find out what happened."

Crais shrugged, still smiling.  "I wouldn't advise it, Crichton," he called.

Crichton turned, walking backwards.  "Yeah well, check on me every once in a while.  You may need to come rescue me."

Crais inclined his head towards him, tracing a line on the map with his finger.  "Maybe once my wife calms down," he whispered to himself, his grin growing even more.

          Morgan stood at Gaia's system console working with Minka to tweak the systems.  She was almost ready to set Tauvo loose on his own, her brother-in-law learning quickly once he stopped fighting her, leaving only a few systems to master.  He had a good report with Minka and Gaia, and Morgan felt confident that the three of them would be as an imposing force to reckon with as Talyn and his own two Captains'.  She was still annoyed with Tauvo, though, and when the bridge doors opened, she turned, giving him a forced smile.  "Tauvo."

          Tauvo returned her smile, the air between them sizzling with tension.  Terrick had returned to Zorosa 3 to gather supplies, leaving them alone and hoping they would not try to kill each other.  "Good morning, Morgan," Tauvo answered, licking his lips as he approached her, his dark eyes twinkling, his voice unusually husky.  "Morgan, we need to speak and since Terrick is not here, I thought…"

          Morgan's eyes darkened, narrowing in warning.  "If it is not about the work we are doing here, we have nothing to discuss," she flatly replied, her voice icy.  They had been over this ground multiple times within the course of the last two weekens, the Captain cutting him off every time.  Morgan was trying very hard to forgive Tauvo, even though he knew that Suleah was alive, having heard Grayza's pronouncement.

          Tauvo sighed, running his fingers through his curly hair.  "Would you please just listen?" he asked softly, his dark eyes begging.  He took another step towards Morgan.

          "Sixty microts, that's all you're getting," she relinquished, crossing her arms over her chest as she leaned back against the console, her ankles crossed.  She raised her eyebrows expectantly.  "Fifty."

          Tauvo nodded.  He had rehearsed this with Grayza over and over and now found himself feigning unsurity, exuding just enough sexual attraction and nervousness to keep his sister-in-law wary.  The Commandant had explained to him the need for Tauvo to draw Morgan closer to him, to make her switch her loyalties so that she was easier to dispose of.  The Commander never blinked an eye over Grayza's insinuation that she would kill Morgan, he was so far under her spell.  "Morgan, we…I never expected…Scorpius to put Suleah in danger, especially if he knew where we were. It doesn't make sense."  He paused, his eyes drifting over her face.  "You must believe me when I say I am sorry about what happened.  I would have never given the order to fire…"

          Morgan suddenly stood up, walking over to her brother-in-law slowly, closing the distance between them on the small bridge, her whole body trembling with barely controlled anger.  "You could have hesitated, Tauvo.  You could have waited to give that order," she spat softly, her blue eyes cold, her expression dark.  She poked him hard in the chest.  "But no.  Your brother tells you to jump and you ask 'how high' without even considering the consequences."

          "That's not true Morgan and you know it," he hissed in defense.  His own dark eyes narrowed.  "I respect and look up to my brother and he has always tried to look out for me!"  His expression softened.  "Besides, you know how much I care about the resistance and you."

          Morgan propped her hands on her hips, her head canted to one side, her mouth open in disbelief.  She had totally missed Tauvo's intimation. "You respect Bialar?" she asked.  She nodded her head, chewing her lower lip and looking out the view port to where Talyn floated nearby.  She turned hard blue eyes to Tauvo.  "Boy, Tauvo, you have a funny way of showing it."

          "What do you mean by that?" he asked curiously.

          Morgan's temper flared and she let it loose on Tauvo.  "Oh, well let's see."  She held up her hand.  "You desert your brother's command carrier without even telling him what the frell is going on.  You let him think you're dead for cycles and turn your own father against him," she pointed out, folding her fingers down as her voice got louder.  "You conveniently forget to tell him that he has a fifteen-cycle old Peacekeeper son who hates his guts and instead of waiting to see what the message from Scorpius said, knowing full well that your one and only niece was in his clutches, you opened fire, thinking that a simple 'I'm sorry' will smooth everything over," she finished, her voice an angry scream.

          Tauvo stared at her in shock.  "Do you have any idea what I have been going through?" he finally whispered, pointing to himself.  "The guilt I have been struggling with?"

          Morgan laughed ruefully.  "Oh, that's good Tauvo!  You really take the cake!"    She nodded, her anger growing as she poked him again, this time in the shoulder with all her fingers.  "Let me tell you something.  You don't know jack shit about guilt!"  She shook her head once, canting it as she pursed her lips.  "Your brother, on the other hand…he wrote the book on guilt."  She pushed past him, heading for the bridge doors, tears in her eyes blurring her vision as the door slid open upon her approach.

          Tauvo grabbed her arm, swinging her around.  He knew his brother was aboard, heading towards the bridge and that if he was going to drive a wedge between Crais and Morgan and wrest control of the resistance from his brother for Grayza, he would have to act.  Before she realized what he was doing, he latched his arm around her waist, pulling Morgan against him, his mouth coming down on hers in a frenzied, anger driven kiss, his tongue exploring her mouth that had opened in surprise when he grabbed her.  He felt Morgan push against his chest, but Tauvo held onto her tightly, locking her in his arms as she struggled against him.  He suddenly released her, his chest heaving, his chin held up in defiance, an evil glint to his eyes as he slowly licked his lips, savoring the taste of her.

          Morgan lashed out, the palm of her hand connecting with his stubbly cheek with a resounding smack, forcing Tauvo to take a staggering step backwards.  "How dare you!" she snarled, her breath coming in raspy gasps.  "If this is how much you respect your brother, the he doesn't need it!"  She reached back and ripped the removable transponder piece from her neck, disconnecting herself from Talyn and Gaia, sending both gunships into a panic.  "Figure out how to run your own frelling ship!" Morgan growled, throwing the transponder at Tauvo, who simply caught it, a satisfied smirk on his face.  She stormed off the bridge in blind fury, not even realizing the body she shoved aside as she exited the command was none other than Crais.

          Tauvo gazed at Crais, licking his lips again.  "Hello, brother," he softly greeted, his voice dripping with absolute satisfaction.

          Crais stood there staring at his Tauvo, his eyes black and glacial as his nostrils flared in rage.  Crais, Crichton and Terrick had witnessed the kiss, Crais barely controlling the urge to wrap his hands around Tauvo's neck for forcing himself upon Morgan.  He could not believe Tauvo had the audacity to attack her and he went numb with shock, his mind shutting down, drowning out Talyn's incessant questions and Morgan's rage.

          "Oh shit," Crichton whispered, glancing at Crais.  The Captain's jaw was clenched, a nerve twitching in his neck.

          "Father?" Terrick asked quietly, never taking his eyes from his uncle.

          Crais swallowed, finally able to speak.  "Remain here, Terrick, with Crichton."  He pointed to Tauvo, his face dark with wrath.  "I will…deal…with you later," he sneered, turning on one foot and marching up Gaia's corridor after Morgan.

          Crichton glared at Tauvo, crossing his arms to keep from slapping the smirk off of the ex-Peacekeeper's face.  He shook his head, chewing the inside of his mouth as he kept his cool, his fists clenched.  He felt like he was back in high school, defending Morgan from the school bully.

          "What?" Tauvo asked innocently, tossing the transponder to the console.  "It wasn't as if she didn't ask for it."

          That did it.  Crichton was on Tauvo before Terrick could even blink, slamming the man up against the bulkhead.  "You son of a bitch!  You Peacekeeper son of a bitch!"  He slammed Tauvo's head against the wall, his fist wrapped tightly in the man's shirt.  It took quite a bit to rile Crichton to the point of violence, and the human had had enough.  "Do you know what the frell you have just done?"

          Terrick slapped the comm panel.  "D'Argo, you better get up here!"

          _"What is going on?  Morgan stormed out of here like a Budong in heat, Crais not far behind her,"_ came the reply.

          Terrick stared at the two men, circling each other like two tigers.  At least his father had enough sense to go after Morgan.  That was the only thing that saved his uncle.  For now.

          "Of course I know.  I showed my brother just exactly what kind of woman your cousin is," Tauvo taunted, crouching low, waiting for the opportunity to attack the human.  "And I plan to get my command back!"

          "Your command?"  Terrick asked in confusion.  "Uncle, what the frell are you talking about?"

          Tauvo smiled wickedly at Terrick, his brown eyes narrowed.  "The resistance.  It's mine and he took it away, just like he took everything else."

          Terrick and Crichton exchanged confused glances. "Tauvo, what the frell are you talking about?" Crichton repeated, staring at the man.  "You pushed Crais into this position when Tadace lay dying in your arms," Crichton protested, ducking Tauvo's right hook, scrambling past him and coming up behind him.  

          "I didn't want him to feel left out," Tauvo snickered, turning to face Crichton.  He snapped his wrist out, aiming a Panthak jab to Crichton's neck.  But the human was too quick and Tauvo missed, growling in frustration as he turned, his eyes following the human.

          D'Argo stopped just inside the bridge doors.  "Ugh!" he growled, turning his head and waving his hand in front of his nose, his whole face crinkling.  

          "D'Argo do something!" Crichton yelled, rolling on the deck to avoid Tauvo's well-aimed punch, stopping at D'Argo's feet as Terrick moved out of the way, ducking the punch that was intended for Crichton.

          The Luxan did, his tongue lashing out with such speed that Tauvo turned and glowered at him in shock before dropping to the deck unconscious.  He reached down and offered Crichton a hand.  

          Crichton stared at him, his chest heaving.  "It took you long enough."

          "He reeks, John," D'Argo growled.  "How can you not smell him?"

          The human turned his head slightly, almost afraid to ask what the Sebacean lying at his feet reeked of.  "Do I want to know?"

          D'Argo tossed Tauvo's unconscious body over his shoulder.  "Grayza."

          Crichton shook his head.  "You're right.  I didn't want to know."  He triggered his comm badge, shaking his hand and watching the blue bruise rise up on his knuckles.  "Hey Minka, contact Crais and tell him we'll meet him on the surface."

          "Is everything all right Commander?" Gaia's pilot sounded nervous.

          Crichton shrugged.  "Yeah.  Fine.  Nothing a good, long bath won't cure."  He turned to Terrick.  "Stay here in case Morgan comes back."  Crichton followed D'Argo back to the landing bay and D'Argo's ship, anticipation filling him in what was to come.

          The water in the river was cold and it quickly brought Tauvo out of D'Argo's tongue lashing.  The back of his head hurt and he watched as water poured from his hair.  A pair of booted feet came into view and Tauvo went under again, sputtering and spitting as he came up for air.  "Stop!  What…what are you doing?" he yelled, waving his arms, reaching up to find out what was making his head burn.  He felt like someone had set him on fire.

          "Taking care of business," D'Argo answered unceremoniously, pushing Tauvo under again.  He canted his head and looked at Tauvo, waggling one finger at the Sebacean Commander.  "You have been playing with someone nasty."

          Tauvo swung his arms, realizing the pain in the back of his head was from where the Luxan held him by his hair.  He shivered as a breeze blew across his bare chest and he blinked, trying to get the water away from his eyes.  They were on Zorosa 3, standing in the middle of the river that ran a few metras from the community.  In a very secluded area of the river.  Trees surrounded them on all but one side, a grassy hill completing the valley the river ran through with it's steep, and grassy incline.  "What are you talking about?" he asked in bewilderment, looking around and seeing Crichton and Rygel standing on the riverbank.

          Rygel, who heard about the commotion and decided he needed a little fun, floated over the water on his throne sled, poking Tauvo hard in the shoulder, his beady little eyes widening, his ears sticking straight up.  "You have been recreating with that witch Grayza."  He looked at D'Argo with sadistic glee.  "Douse the frelnik again."

          Tauvo's eyes expanded.  "By Cholak, what have I done?" he cried.  D'Argo released him and he fell backwards in the water with a splash, not even trying to catch himself.  He sat in the river, the cold water flowing past him.  He looked around, his eyes finding Crichton's.  "Please tell me I didn't do something stupid."

          Crichton shook his head, his face serious as he stood on the bank, hands propped on his hips.  "No can do, amigo.  You pissed off the wrong person this time and thankfully, I'm not the one on the receiving end of his temper."

          Tauvo's heart sank as he slowly remembered what happened.  The night Grayza came to him, filling his mind with lies about Morgan.  Their recreation sessions over the course of the last weeken.  His growing anger at Crais for taking command of the resistance.  The kiss.  Tauvo scrubbed his face with his hands.  "Bialar," he whispered.

          "Yup," Crichton confirmed as Tauvo finally dragged himself from the river, D'Argo and Rygel following him, the gravity of the situation weighing heavily on him.  None of them would stick up for Tauvo other than to tell Crais about the deception they had uncovered.

          Before any of them could say another word, Crais came down the hill, his face flushed with immense fury, his eyes hard and cold.  Tendrils of hair had come loose from his queue and he looked like a wild animal with his uniform shirt opened at the collar, the sleeves uncharacteristically rolled up to his elbows.  He pointed at Tauvo.  "You!  How dare you!" he called between clenched teeth.

          "Bialar, let me explain," Tauvo started, pushing past Crichton.  He held his hands up in defense.

          "Explain?  There is no explanation this time, brother," he spat.  Crais drew his right hand back, swinging and taking Tauvo in the chin, knocking his younger sibling backwards into the sand.  "What you have done is inexcusable."

          Crichton laid a hand on Crais' arm as the Captain moved past him.  He had seen that look on the Sebacean's face before.  "Crais, maybe you should…"

          "Shut up, Crichton.  This is none of your concern," Crais growled.  He grabbed Tauvo by the hair, hauling him to his feet as his eyes narrowed to thin slits, his nostrils flaring.  Crais didn't even bother to reign in his formidable temper.  "Did you think that by attacking my wife you'd…solve the disagreement between you?" he hissed, his voice lethally quiet, his fingers tightening in Tauvo's short hair.

          "Bialar, please," Tauvo begged, trying to undo his brother's fingers that were curled firmly in his hair, convinced that when Crais finally released him, clumps of black curls would be in his fist.  He actually shook in fear, afraid of his brother.  "I never meant to do anything that harmed you."

          "Then…what exactly…were you doing?" Crais' breath came in ragged gasps, his chest heaving in rage.  He saw red and landed a blow in Tauvo's stomach, following it up with a carefully placed kick to the ribs.  "Are you trying to destroy everything you have worked for?  Everything we have built together over the last few cycles?" he screamed, his entire body shaking.  

          "Crais," Crichton calmly called, standing far enough away from the fighting brothers, brushing off sand that had landed on his arm with an annoyed sigh.

          "Shut up, Crichton!" he hissed, turning dark and dangerous eyes to the human.

          Crichton had seen that look one too many times and knew that if someone didn't stop Crais now, Tauvo would be a goner.  He sighed in resignation, marching over to the Captain and swinging him around, his own fist connecting with his ex-nemesis' goateed chin.

          Crais staggered backwards, glaring at Crichton.  "That will cost you, Crichton," he hissed, launching himself towards the human.

          "This is getting interesting," Rygel commented, his throne sled floating towards Tauvo.  The Hynerian dipped it just enough to bang the younger Crais on the head.  "If you were smart, you'd stay there," he snapped.  "Get him, Crichton!"

          Crichton was ready for Crais and he grabbed the man by the upper arms, holding him firm.  The two men wrestled for a moment, Crichton surprising the Captain when he pushed him backwards.  "Listen to me, you Sebacean imbecile.  Tauvo is not totally to blame.  Grayza got to him."

          The Commandant's name brought the Captain to a halt, his upraised fist stopping in midair.  He canted his head, his eyes narrowing.  "What did you say?" he asked quietly, making sure he heard the human right.

          Crichton looked Crais straight in the eyes, trying very hard to ignore the pounding in his hand.  He could see the bruise already rising on Crais' chin and knew he'd get an earful from Morgan, let alone from Aeryn.  At this point, Crichton didn't care.  Grayza was the enemy and they had to get rid of her before she could wreak any more havoc.  Doing that was worth the pounding Crais wanted to unleash on him.  "Grayza got a hold of Tauvo," he repeated, calming his voice.

          "How?  How do you know this?" Crais asked, breaking from Crichton's grip.  He marched over to his brother, pointing back at Crichton.  "Is Crichton right?"

          Tauvo nodded silently, rubbing his sore chin, his eyes filled with regret.

          "I recognized her scent on him after you left Gaia," D'Argo added, standing behind Crichton, his arms crossed over his wall of a chest.

          Crais' anger flared once again.  "You fool!  It is obvious nothing we told you about her sunk into that skull of yours!" he yelled, poking his brother in the forehead with his forefinger.

          Tauvo swallowed.  "I thought…I thought I could get some information from her," he answered, his voice small and cracking with emotion.

          "And did you?" Crais posed, waiting.

          Tauvo nodded, running his tongue over his teeth and tasting blood.  "She is trying to take over the resistance.  She wants to use all of our resources here on Zorosa 3 to stage an attack against Scorpius."

          Crais slowed his breathing, his anger still bubbling just above the surface.  Somehow, the news of the Commandant's plan did not surprise him.  They all knew she had been up to something.  Now they knew what it was.  "And you thought…you were immune to her…'charms'."

          Tauvo nodded, too afraid to say anything.  It had been along time since he had seen Crais this furious.  He didn't want to see him that way again, at least not while he was on the receiving end.

          Crais lifted his chin, his nostrils flaring, the muscles in his cheek twitching.  "Well, you weren't."  He turned, pushing between Crichton and D'Argo.  He stopped, turning his head slightly.  "I would…suggest…that you return to Gaia and remain there, Tauvo.  At least there I know you will be out of the Commandant's reach."  His dark eyes met Crichton's and he lowered his voice.  "Find out where Grayza is and let me know as soon as possible."

          "Where are you going, Bialar?" Crichton asked, stepping up to him.

          "To speak with Pa'u Zotoh Zhaan and see if she can develop some form of…pheromone blocker so this…" Crais glared angrily at his brother, "…does not happen again."  His eyes met Crichton's, his expression softening slightly.  "Then I am going to find Morgan.  And hopefully straighten this out before it gets any further out of control."    They watched him walk away, his back ramrod straight, his anger still evident in the way he moved.  

          Crichton looked at D'Argo and shrugged, taking off after Crais to see if he could find Grayza, leaving Tauvo in his crewmates care.

          It took Crais almost three arns to calm down and finally locate Morgan.  She wasn't on Talyn and Terrick confirmed that she had not returned to Gaia.  Which meant there was only one place she could be.  He found her Prowler sitting in the soft grass just outside his parent's farm, away from the hustle and bustle of the community the resistance had built.  He sighed, settling his own Prowler next to hers, quickly tugging off his flight gloves and tossing them into his seat, sliding down the side of the small fighter and heading straight for the barn.  It always seemed that his wife retreated here whenever something disturbed her or she needed time to think, and he could only assume that the rural setting was comforting to her, reminding her of Earth.

          "Bialar!"

          Crais stopped at the sound of his mother's voice, altering his course and warily approaching the house.  The look on her face did not bode well, which meant she either knew what had taken place or suspected something was wrong.  She met him halfway, Allan bouncing on her hip, his little hands reaching anxiously for him.  Crais took his son.  "Hello mother," he said softly, rubbing his cheek affectionately against the boy's head as he wrapped his arms around Crais' neck.

          "What is going on?  I've heard two Prowlers land and although I may be blind, I know that something is wrong," she demanded, planting her hands on her hips.

          Crais smiled, laying his hand on her shoulder comfortingly.  "It is just a little…disagreement between Morgan, Tauvo and myself," he reassured her.  He kissed Allan's forehead and gently placed him in his grandmother's arms.  "Please take Allan in the house."

          Mother cast an 'I-know-better-than-that' look at her eldest son, and turned, harrumphing to herself as she made her way back into the house.  "Dinner will be ready in an arn if you're planning on staying, which would be very nice," she tossed over her shoulder, hinting very strongly that she wanted her family there.  She looked at Allan and even though she couldn't see the little boy, her gaze was full of affection.  "Little disagreement my e'ema," she mumbled to him, running her finger down his nose and eliciting a giggle from the boy.

           Crais smiled at her comment, continuing on to the barn. He stepped inside, waiting for his eyes to adjust to the darkness, canting his head, listening as he moved past the livestock stalls, hearing his father's voice above him in the loft.  He rested one hand on the ladder rung, waiting, the voices above him drifting down.

          "It has not been easy on any of us Morgan, and Tauvo's actions were inexcusable.  Especially if he was trying to hurt you or his brother.  That is not like him," Father soothed.  He gently wiped the dried blood from around and on the transponder cradle with tender care, his heart aching over his daughter-in-laws upset.  He knew she loved Tauvo like a brother and now she felt as if he had betrayed both Crais and herself, handling her own anger at Suleah's kidnapping by taking it out on Tauvo.  Father laid the cloth aside, picking up a jar of salve and smoothing some of it around her sore flesh.  He stroked her hair as she sniffed, rubbing her shoulders.  "Let Bialar and Tauvo sort this out between them."

          Morgan looked up, wiping her nose with the back of her hand.  "Bialar probably hates me," she whispered pathetically, feeling like she was to blame.  She wondered if this would've happened if she had treated Tauvo differently.  "I should have never have…been so cold…with him.  Maybe if I had…"

          Father turned Morgan around to face him, gently taking her chin in his big hand as he shook his head, quieting her.  His dark eyes were soft, filled with affection.  "No Morgan.  You should know better than that.  And it wasn't your fault, if that is what you are thinking."  He smiled softly, wiping the tears from her cheeks with the rough pads of his thumbs.  "Bialar would never hate you.  Bialar loves you and you him."  He pulled her into his arms, patting her back as she cried.  Father saw Crais as he climbed the ladder, waiting for him to come forward.  The expression on his son's face was sad, and it tugged at the big Sebacean's heart.  He gently gripped Morgan's arms, setting her away from him.  "Now, stop crying.  You don't want Bialar to see you going on like this."

          Crais leaned against the loft railing, his hands clasped in front of him.  "It's not the first time," he commented softly.  He looked at Morgan, his eyes filled with nothing but love, his anger at his brother bubbling back to the surface at the hurt look on her face.  He nodded his thanks to Father as he turned around to go down the ladder.  

          "Do you want me to speak to Tauvo?" Father queried softly, his expression dark.  He could not help the feeling of disappointment he felt at his younger son's actions and he was bound and determined to see it never happened again, no matter what it took.

          Crais' own expression matched his father's at his brother's name.  "No.  I have…already spoken with him."

          Father smiled knowingly, noticing the dark bruise along the jaw line of his left cheek.  "So I see," he commented quietly with a brief nod towards his son's cheek.  He disappeared down the ladder, closing the barn door behind him. 

          Crais watched as the door closed before approaching Morgan, assuring their privacy.  He sat down next to her on the beozar bale.  "My brother has managed to make an…ass out of himself," he calmly stated, pushing her hair aside to double check the transponder cradle, making sure it hadn't come loose when she jerked the neural link that joined her to both ships from it.  

          Morgan smiled at his choice of words, not used to hearing him purposefully use an Earth euphemism.  She took Talyn's transponder from his hand, Crais having found it where she had left it in his office, and placed it in the cradle, wincing slightly as she reestablished the link and reassuring the panicked gunship.  Morgan sighed.  "I'm sorry Bialar."

          Crais wrapped his arm around her, drawing her trembling body under his shoulder protectively as she leaned her head on his chest.  "For what, Morgan?  You did nothing wrong."  He canted his head to gaze down at her, stroking her cheek with his free hand.  "It was not your fault at all."

          Morgan sat up, turning to straddle the bale.  She knew by his tone of voice that something was disturbing him.  "What happened?" she asked softly, biting her lower lip as she waited.

          Crais rubbed his temple.  "Tauvo was under Grayza's…influence.  He has been for a weeken now which explains his odd behavior."  His dark eyes met hers.  "It seems that Commandant Grayza is trying to…wrest control of the resistance from us."  He sighed.  "She wants to use Zorosa 3 as her own base for attacking Scorpius."

          Morgan's face darkened at the news.  "I knew that bitch would be trouble."

          Crais nodded.  "We all did.  I suspected she wanted more than just amnesty."  Crais took Morgan's hands in his, tracing the tattoo on her wrist absently.  "D'Argo picked up her scent as soon as he got close enough to Tauvo."

          Morgan smiled, her eyes on their linked hands.  "Huh, the advantage of having a Luxan with a big nose around."

          Crais smiled with her, drawing her into the comfort of his strong arms and holding her tightly to him, resting his chin on Morgan's neck as he stroked her hair.  "You realize this means that we will have to…postpone our engagement with Scorpius."

          Morgan nodded as she wrapped her arms around him, listening to the steady rhythm of his heart.  "Suleah is safe for now.  The resistance isn't," she whispered.  It broke her heart to know her daughter was with that monster, but thousands of lives were at stake, defenseless against Grayza and her troops.  And somehow she knew Scorpius wouldn't intentionally hurt Suleah.  Maybe it was a mother's instinct, maybe it was hope, but Morgan was confident their daughter was fine.  "What's the plan?" she finally asked.

          Before Crais could answer, the barn doors flew open below them.  Crais stood and bent over the railing, his pulse pistol in his hand, his eyes meeting Crichton's and Chiana's.

          "Crais she's gone!  That little trelk Grayza hit me over the head and took off!" Chiana called, a section of her white hair matted with blood.

          "Where?" he called sharply, sliding down the ladder, and grasping Morgan's hips, lowering her quickly to the ground as she followed him from the loft.

"I…I don't know.  She hit me from behind and when I came to, she was gone," Chiana explained, her hand going to her head.  She could see the fury growing in Crais' eyes. 

Morgan immediately went to Chiana, leading the petite Nebari woman into the house, casting a worried look over her shoulder, a look Crais caught.  He turned towards Crichton, his stomach clenching in agitation.  "Where?" he asked again, deep concern etched on his face.

          Crichton ran his fingers through his hair.  "She headed back to her ship."  Crais moved past him and Crichton grabbed his arm.  "Wait, Crais.  There's more."  Their eyes met, the tension between them thick over Grayza's betrayal.  "She just brought the rest of her fleet into the sector.  Seven Scarren dreadnaughts and three more command carriers.  All of them heading this way with their gun ports wide open."


End file.
